Intelligence sharing doesn’t necessarily mean policy alignment – Asia Times
Pacific Forum published this article at its original publication. It is republished with authority.
Japan and New Zealand announced in June 2024 that the two countries had come to terms on an data protection arrangement.  , While information on the specific characteristics of the contract are yet to be published, it might be safe to assume that this is a step toward further bilateral security assistance, given New Zealand ‘s , increasingly vigilant approach , to the emerging , regional security infrastructure.
However, it’s crucial to remember that sharing intelligence does n’t always translate to aligning security policies.
The , New Zealand Intelligence Community consists of three organizations:
- the Cabinet and Prime Minister’s Office’s National Assessment Bureau is responsible for assessing brains.
- the New Zealand Intelligence Security Services ( SIS ) for domestic security intelligence, and
- the Bureau of Signals Intelligence, part of the government connections and safety.
New Zealand has increased its activities in Asia, particularly since the UK joined the European Union, as pointed out by both , academics , and , experts. New Zealand has always maintained its place among the Five Eyes society, even though it retreated from the US and Australia’s 1951 ANZUS Treaty in the 1980s.
The states ‘ monthly summits and ministerial meetings are a key part of the Five Eyes framework’s institutional strengths, which coordinate their positions, set their goals, and share ideas. They also co-ordinate their positions, and share ideas.
Despite their differing viewpoints, the New Zealand government often deviates from the conversation of other member nations. A new and striking case had been 2021, when New Zealand , stepped back , from involvement in joint denunciation against China’s treatment of its Uighur Muslim minority by the US, Canada, the UK, and Australia.
This is especially at conflict with the fact that the Five Eyes group just recently declared , a more expanded relationship , with another member states to include the political sphere.
Therefore, a question: What enables cleverness sharing to help to plan alignment?
Intelligence-sharing systems and agreements usually develop shared viewpoints. Similar types of analysis on comparable details, which have resulted in comparable opinions in various countries, have contributed, and have gained more knowledge that one’s partners also have comparable conclusions.
Establishing such mechanisms second requires acknowledging shared safety concerns and fostering trust in the companion nation’s handling of sensitive information.
Although we can conclude that these agreements will benefit both parties, the existence of an intelligence-sharing system does not always mean that the participants ‘ regional security policies will be in line with one another.
Policymakers , with cleverness assessment inputs – no intelligence companies themselves – generally participate in policymaking. Therefore, policy will depend on how eloquently the intelligence agencies ‘ risk assessments affect policymakers ‘ attitudes.
Bisher, it seems as though New Zealand’s intelligence services and local politics have had little effect on the political landscape. In comparison to more effective institutions in another Five Eyes nations, the intelligence role is also constrained, and their influence is less developed.
However, within New Zealand culture there is also lingering suspicion of the region’s intelligence agencies originating from the , Kim Dotcom incident, in which the agencies supposedly conducted unlawful surveillance of the accused.
Similar to other Five Eyes nations, New Zealand’s intelligence companies have since made more effort to improve their public relations and communication skills. But, just in 2023 did New Zealand publish , a risk assessment report, with the following of its kind coming in first September 2024.
Although these more common engagements will have a greater impact on policy, their discussion is not entirely in line with that of other government agencies. For example, New Zealand’s intelligence agencies described the People’s Republic of China as generally framed as New Zealand’s and its traditional security partners ‘ corporate competitors. This seems to be a variation from New Zealand’s standard approach.
David Capie, a leading New Zealand professor,  , described , it as a shock to the earlier New Zealand institutions that have spent much of the past decade rejecting perfectly that frame. He also noted and appreciated the significance of the SIS’s recognition that, in addition to being proper competitors, it also comes from apparently friendly nations, particularly in light of Five Eyes ‘ suspicions of India.
The American government was first accused by the American state of organizing Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s death in June 2023. In October 2023, New Zealand joined another Five Eyes nations in condemning New Delhi for threatening to formally withdraw American officials ‘ protections and immunity unless Ottawa reduced the number of delegations it had in India.
The question is whether these intelligence agencies ‘ attitudes, which are more in tune with their traditional surveillance partners, will eventually result in actual and consistent plan alignment.
The risk assessment report states that it is not a federal policy record but rather an independent assessment by the SIS, which is one caveat to answering this question. This is unusual because the New Zealand government is responsible for the publication of the report. What should this be understood as? Any corporate report must be reviewed and approved by senior government officials and political decision-makers, according to the standard operating procedure for federal papers. The key players in the state are typically essential people, not all politicians and government officials, according to the argument. So, we ask what made the Sisters include such a disclaimer.
According to my understanding, there was no discussion among the New Zealand government before the release. On page 14, the report states that it does not want to securitize some ethnic communities, but other topics might warrant discussion. Another cause could be that New Zealand officials are generally , skeptical , of intelligence firms, which made it difficult to get the natural light from senior officials to challenge the record as the government’s official status.
The recent SIS security assessment’s analysis serves as one more instance of how the views of New Zealand intelligence agencies have been accepted in the wider domestic policy community. The New Zealand intelligence agencies have less influence on the current Luxon government’s foreign policy and its alignment with its Five Eyes counterparts because of a relatively underdeveloped intelligence community and a low level of confidence in the policy/political community.
There is still work to be done, despite Japan and New Zealand’s intelligence cooperation offering both opportunities: more information on North Korea and China in Japan’s and New Zealand’s cases.
In order to maintain democratic control over the government, it is crucial to establish an oversight mechanism in both the parliament and the government as intelligence agencies venture into uncharted territory regarding cooperation. The scope and authority of the intelligence agencies must be enshrined in law for them to function properly, or even be established, and after that, political authorities can carry out appropriate supervision.
Japan currently lacks proper intelligence agency governance and will benefit greatly from an established, organized, and official agency with oversight. In order to bridge the gap between the intelligence agencies, on the one hand, and the government and the public, New Zealand will gain more public trust by including former intelligence officials in its oversight committee.
Rei Koga ( rei. koga@kcl .ac. uk ), a PhD student in international political economy at the Department of European and International Studies, King’s College London, is a WSD-Handa research fellow at Pacific Forum.
Among Trump advisors, a battle for GOP’s soul rages – Asia Times
As a business who loves offers, Donald Trump may be overjoyed with all the free tips he’s getting as president-elect.
In the times between the vote and the opening of a new leader, would-be advisors appear. They demand that this campaign promises be kept, rather than that one. They advocate carrying out specific strategy promises to the maximum or minimum. They suggest which of the counterpart’s procedures may get continued and which axed.
All this happens with any approaching leader. Due to the ongoing fight for the Republican Party’s core, it is happening frequently with Trump. Oversimplified, it’s a battle between the conservatism of Ronald Reagan and what some visit Big Government conservative.
The essential principles of Reagan conservative include tax breaks, small government, restructuring, free business and a skeletal foreign policy. Some Trump liberals are friendly to immigration, though firmly opposed to illegal immigration.
As the name implies, Big Government conservatism is n’t about shrinking the government, but about making it work harder for American workers. More Americans should be given high-paying work and the middle school to return, with particular attention.
According to its supporters, sealed borders mean that both legal and illegal immigrants are dependent on both legal and illegal immigrants, which would only raise the wages of native-born Americans who would otherwise be able to fill those positions with more lucrative pay. For the same purpose, big-government conservatives believe that taxes promote manufacturing work.
Like Reagan liberals, the big-government liberals tend to favor restructuring. Economic legislation in certain puts energy-industry jobs at hazard, in their perspective.
Unsurprisingly, they approve of the Democrats ‘ push to pass the Network and Chips Act subsidies for new businesses. They’d maintain that industrial plan, maybe even increase it.
Big government does n’t mean big Pentagon. These conservatives dislike cheap overseas war. Home revival is their goal.
Although Donald Trump may have long since distanced himself from Reagan conservative, his two most significant accomplishments in his first term, tax cuts and restructuring, were straight out of the Reagan playbook. Even though Elon Musk might not be off to it, he has accused him of shrinking the state.
From Big Government conservative, Trump has chosen isolationism, closed borders and foreign-policy caution. How far should taxes and closed borders be concerned, as well as whether new businesses should continue receiving industrial-policy subsidies, are two questions that prospective advisors are trying to control.
Tariffs
The President-elect has promised big new tariffs – as much as 20 % on all incoming goods except Chinese imports, which he’d hit with a 60 % tariff. He’s getting a lot of tips to be more restricted.
Companies and economists are warning consumers that they will experience a fresh wave of prices. Agriculture and other exporting nations are concerned about buying companion reprisals. According to Aaron Friedberg, tariffs against China wo n’t work unless they are coordinated with other, China-fearing governments.
Robert Lighthizer, the US deal representative in Trump’s second name who is said to be Trump’s selection as business” king” in this one, is highly pro-tariff. But he’s also a realist.
Higher taxes are a clarity. It’s also unclear how wide and how great.
Closed edges
It may be challenging to implement the massive arrests of illegal immigrants that member Trump promised. Thousands of them exist, and many of them have been working in the sector for centuries. A lot more border-control officials would need to be hired to round them off.
The flow of new fugitives will definitely be stopped by a Trump administration that is stronger than it was in the past. Any person who has been found guilty of a crime or has received a deportation order from a prosecutor will likely be deported. It’s hard to believe the persecution will be huge, though. If they are, they may tremendously destroy the economy.
Industrial coverage
Trump dislikes the grants, but many of them are already building. In the legislative districts where those companies are being built, many of which are red says, it would be a vote-loser to ban them.
Could he be persuaded by big-government liberals to support him in more ways? It does n’t seem likely. However, JD Vance has a great lover in Donald Trump Jr., whose views seem to have a bearing on his father, and he leans toward the huge government side.
Setting up a review committee of withdrew generals and admirals to weed out serving three- and four-star military officials is one of the worst recommendations the president-elect is receiving. Trump, who viewed commitment as the top priority in his first word with officers who believed their commitment to the Constitution, is undoubtedly drawn to the idea.
An ignorant or disobedient agent has the power to sack them as president. However, it’s a terrible idea to conduct a fidelity check for a particular politician. Officials may be promoted on the basis of significance, not politicians.
Urban Lehner, a former Wall Street Journal Asia journalist and writer, is DTN/The Progressive Farmer’s editor emeritus.  ,
This , content, originally published on November 20 by the latter media business and then republished by Asia Times with authority, is © Copyright 2024 DTN, LLC. All rights reserved.  ,  , Follow , Urban Lehner , on X @urbanize.
CNA wins best News Explainer at AIB Awards in London for video on Israel-Gaza war
SINGAPORE: For its in-depth look at the , Israeli occupation of the West Bank, CNA was honoured at this , year’s AIBs, an international awards competition organised by the London-based , Association for International Broadcasting ( AIB ).
CNA’s” Israel-Hamas War- The Occupation Of West Bank”  , came out heads in the News Explainer type in the movie section, beating competition from Bloomberg, CNN as well as Al Jazeera, which even submitted its own explanation on the Israel-Hamas battle.  ,
It was one of two prizes picked up by CNA, which is an English language , Eastern news channel based in Singapore.
The award ceremony, which took place in London on Friday  , ( Nov 22 ), was hosted by CNA presenter Otelli Edwards. Entry forms are submitted by well-known news outlets around the world.  ,  ,
CNA’s winning entrance was the , next event of an eight-part set on the Israel-Hamas conflict that began on Oct 7, 2023. The first episode of the series was in January of this year.  ,
” Israel-Hamas War- The Occupation Of West Bank” shows the effect of Jewish inhabitants on Palestinians, and looks at the structure of Jewish settlements and the crime between settlers and Palestinians.  ,
The show also examines the impact of the conflict on Palestinians ‘ daily life.
The line looked at many other aspects of the conflict, including tracing the hostilities since the 1917 Balfour Declaration, past attempts at peace, what happened on Oct 7 next year, who is Hamas, whether foreign legislation has been violated and the position of Iran.  ,
In the process of production, the CNA group interviewed 40 people of a few different nationalities comprising academics, former officials, former United Nations rapporteurs, support staff, and persons living in the West Bank. It even examined , more than 200 documents from files dating back to the 1900s from different countries.
The eight-part film set on the Israel-Hamas battle, which CNA published on YouTube, is the most significant and difficult news explainer we have ever produced, according to Mediacorp Editor-in-Chief Walter Fernandez.
” It took a group of 10 producers and suffered senior , editors more than three months to do the research, cause images, produce graphics as well as modify the scripts and videos.
The historical and political context surrounding the horrifying attack by Hamas and Israel was better understood thanks to this explainer series, CNA’s local, regional, and global audiences. Explainers like this one, conducted professionally and objectively, demonstrate the continued relevance and worth of public service media like CNA.
The CNA entry did a great job, according to the AIB judges, were pleased with the footage and effective use of maps, and the production thoroughly examined the West Bank situation.
It painted a vivid picture of the people’s lives in the area. They claimed that the episode had a logical flow and was presented in a simple manner, which is what a news explainer should do.
A fashion shoot that went viral and turned Indian slum children into celebrities
Innovation for ChangeSurprisingly, a group of poor schoolchildren were transformed into nearby celebrities after a video of a style shoot in India went viral.
The kids are depicted in red and gold clothes made of old clothes, the majority of them women, between the age of 12 and 17.
The teenagers created their own fashions, customizing the outfits, and using their creations as models to show off their creations, with the slum’s dirty walls and terraces serving as the setting for their stairway walk.
The movie was filmed and edited by a 15-year-old son.
Innovation for ChangeThe film initially appeared earlier this month on the Lucknow-based organization Innovation for Change’s Instagram website.
The charity works with about 400 babies from the city’s neighborhoods, providing them completely food, education and career skills. This NGO’s kids are the children that were featured in the photo shoot.
One of the designs in the picture, Mehak Kannojia, claimed that she and other students frequently redid their Instagram looks after seeing the stylish choices of Bollywood actresses.
” This moment, we decided to share our sources and worked as a group,” the 16-year-old said.
For their project, they chose wisely – a campaign by Sabyasachi Mukherjee, one of India’s top fashion designers who has dressed Bollywood celebrities, Hollywood actresses and billionaires. In 2018, Kim Kardashian wore his sequinned red sari for a Vogue shoot.
Mukherjee is also known as the “king of weddings” in India. He has dressed thousands of brides, including Bollywood celebrities such as Anushka Sharma and Deepika Padukone. Priyanka Chopra married Nick Jonas in a stunning red Sabyasachi outfit.
Innovation for ChangeMehak said their project, called Yeh laal rang ( the colour red ), was inspired by the designer’s heritage bridal collection.
We sifted through all the dark things that had been donated to us. Then we began putting the clothing up and made our first choices. “
The women worked on about a hundred clothing in three days, but according to Mehak, they had “great joy doing it.”
Mehak claims that they carefully copied the concepts ‘ movements from Sabyasachi videos for the corridor move.
” Only like his types, some of us wore glasses, one drank from a spritzer with a straw, while another walked carrying a fabric bag under her arm. “
Some of it, Mehak says, came up naturally. ” At one stage in the shoot, I was supposed to grin. At that moment, someone said something amusing and I only burst out laughing. “
Innovation for ChangeIt was an ambitious job, but the effect has won hearts in India. The film, which was produced with money from a friend and included some donated clothing, became popular after Mukherjee shared it on his Instagram page with a heart icon.
The battle won popular praise, with many on social advertising comparing their function to that of professionals.
The charity’s school has been visited by many TV programs, some of the children were invited to participate in shows on well-known FM radio stations, and Bollywood artist Tamannah Bhatia visited them to give them a blanket.
The response, Mehak says, has been” totally unexpected”.
It resembles a true dream. You’ve become famous, all of my friends are saying in the video. When my parents learned how much attention we were receiving, they were thrilled.
” We are feeling wonderful. Now we have only one dream left- to meet Sabyasachi. “
Innovation for ChangeSome people were critical of the shoot, though, and they wondered if showing young brides dressed as brides might encourage child marriage in a nation where millions of girls are still married off by their families before turning 18, the legal age.
In a post on Instagram, The Innovation for Change stated that they had no intention of encouraging child marriage.
Our goal is to in no way encourage child marriage. These girls are able to accomplish this by challenging such ideas and restrictions today. Please take them seriously; otherwise, these kids ‘ morale will suffer. “
This surgeon is saving women’s lives and the earth: ‘We can’t be healthy if the world we live in is not healthy’
Old operating theatre boots that are still accessible are washed, to later be used by tourists such as suppliers handling tools, customer surgeons or observers like students and trainees, who need to wear clogs for infection-control purposes.
Worn-out boots are dropped into the patient’s textile recycling bin. Used clothing or sacks in good condition can be disposed of in this bin at SKH’s Green Corner on Level 1 for generosity, employees, patients, and guests. Since its launch in January 2023, the doctor has donated 8, 804 kilograms of fabric.
For 20 % of celebration catering and all meals served by the operating theatre staff, SKH uses washable items. The amount of garbage in disposable bento boxes has been reduced from three to four bags per dinner service time.
The patient’s food waste digester method is one of its biggest sustainability initiatives. Food waste, according to Associate Professor Tan, makes up 11 % of Singapore’s complete waste. And, with 4, 500 foods prepared regularly at the hospital, about 13, 800 pounds of food spend was generated regular in 2023.
Food spend tanks installed in the kitchen’s core area transform food into waste. Because it can then be washed down the drain, spend sent for burning is significantly reduced. Not only is it environmentally friendly, it even improves hygiene and cleanliness, while reducing taste and pest problems.
Food safety is also enhanced by minimising cross-contamination risks, as kitchen staff do n’t need to handle the food waste digester.
THE BOTTOM-UP AND TOP-DOWN APPROACH
Instilling a society of conservation has been the code to the patient’s success, said Assoc Prof Tan.
” Our commission looks at big ticket items – such as the timing of our lights, when to increase the aircon warmth and how we can recycle things– but when it comes to what’s in each division, it’s the people who work there who see it best”, said the 53-year-old.
Assoc Prof Tan also serves as co-chair on the Committee on Sustainability ( CoS ) in Sing Health. She claimed that while the overall healthcare sector harbors some skepticism about sustainability, “it is mainly due to a lack of awareness of what we can do and how we can alter – and this is not only in care.”
” In the last two decades, there has been a deliberate work as a medical team to do more”, she said.
China’s sinkholes: Tourist boom threatens ancient forests
Xiqing Wang / BBCThe couple is perched against the cliff’s pure limestone.
More than 100 metres ( 328ft ) beneath them is a lost world of ancient forests, plants and animals. They are only able to hear the sounds of grasshoppers and parrots bouncing off the cliffs and learn the leafy tree tops.
For thousands of years, this “heavenly crater” or “tiankeng”, in Mandarin, was unknown.
In the clouds that rose from the abyss, people feared monsters and spirits.
However, a few brave hearts who lowered themselves into locations uninhabited since animals have discovered fresh jewels and transformed China’s holes into tourist attractions.
Two-thirds of the world’s more than 300 holes are in China, scattered throughout the government’s western- with 30 known tiankeng, Guangxi state in the west has more of of them than everywhere elsewhere. An ancient forest with trees as tall as 40 meters ( 130 feet ) was its biggest and most recent find two years ago. These holes in the world trap time, preserving special, sensitive ecosystems for centuries. Their discovery, however, has begun to attract visitors and engineers, raising concerns that these remarkable, exceptional finds could be lost forever.
Xiqing Wang/BBCOff the rock
” I’ve always done this kind of thing before”, says 25-year-old Rui, looking down into the abyss. ” It’s very cool. It wo n’t be the last time, though.
She takes a large mouth. She and her partner next take a step backward and into the air.
Fei Ge, the man who had just thoroughly checked Rui and Michael’s leashes before sending them over the mountain, is more knowledgeable about the sensation of stepping backward.
He was one of the first pioneers. Now in his 50s, he works as a tour guide helping persons discover the secrets of Guangxi’s holes.
Growing up in a community outside, Fe had been told to stay ahead. ” We believed that spirits would blow up the crater and cause heavy rain and strong winds if people entered them. We believed that ghosts created the fog and fog.
These holes have their own microenvironment, according to Fei Ge, or Brother Fei as he is known. The fog is produced by the wind rushing through the caves and the evaporating water from streams inside the caves.
Xiqing Wang/BBC
Xiqing Wang / BBCBrother Fei finally discovered a way into a hole as a child because of his curiosity.
” Every little stone caused loud sounds and sounds”, he said. There was weather, weather and even “mini tornadoes”, he recalled. ” At second, we were scared”.
But he kept exploring. Just when he introduced experts to the area realized how distinctive the holes were.
” The authorities were astonished. They discovered fresh flowers and claimed to have spent decades studying these species. They were really excited. We were overcome with the realization that a gold we had always assumed would be there was in abundance.
As scientists published their sees in articles, and word disperse of their discovery, people came to examine the holes. In the last ten years, according to Fei, adventurers from the UK, France, and Germany have arrived.
Xiqing Wang / BBCHoles are unique. Due to the abundance of stone, China and Guangxi in particular have so many. A cave expands upwards to the surface when an underground creek carefully dissolves the surrounding limestone rock.
Finally, the earth collapses, leaving a yawning opening. For it to count as a crater, its depth and width must be at least 100 meters. Some, like the one found in Guangxi in 2022, are little bigger, stretching 300m into the world and 150m large.
These cramped pits transport scientists back in time to places where they could analyze previously thought dead plants and animals. Additionally, they discovered new species, including endangered wild orchids, eerie light cave fish, and different spiders and snails.
These plants and animals have flourished deep within the earth, protected by large rocks, sharp mountains, and limestone rocks.
Into the grotto
Before she begins to rappell down, Rui dangles midair in a happy scream.
She and Michael are only just beginning the experience. In the cave’s interior, they have more ropework to accomplish.
After a quick stroll through a maze of rocks, Michael is lowered into the black. The guidelines shine the light into the small lines below, where a river when carved through the rock, while illuminated by the circle above us, a network of rocks.
That’s where we are headed. The instructions must exert a lot of effort to place the ropes.
” I am not a person that does little training”, says Michael, his thoughts echoing in the grotto.
This is the show of the Shanghai child’s two-week split in Guangxi, the kind of vacation they had craved during China’s long Covid lockdowns. ” This kind of commerce is more and more common on the Foreign internet”, he says. We saw it, and we thought it was pretty amazing. That’s why we wanted to test it”.
Xiqing Wang / BBC The Guangxi holes ‘ films have become popular online. In a state that has just recently come out of poverty, what young people find entertaining and brave is a resource of much-needed revenue.
Guangxi’s strange but beautiful scenery and its rocky borders make business hard with Vietnam and the rest of China.
However, people come for the opinions. More than a million Foreign tourists visit Guilin and Yangshuo in the northern each year, thanks to their serene river and soaring karst mountains. Yet the 20-yuan word has photos of the mist-covered Guangxi.
However few have heard of Ping’e community, the nearest arrangement to the crater. But that is changing.
According to Brother Fei, Ping’e’s visitors are constantly changing their lives due to the steady torrent of visitors. ” It used to be very bad. We started expanding hospitality, which has a lot of advantages. similar to the days of the first routes. We were extremely relieved to have something of such value below.
Getty ImagesHowever, some people worry that tourism revenue might outweigh medical research needs.
About 50km from Ping’e, engineers have built what they say is the highest seeing system, which overlooks Dashiwei, the second-deepest hole in the world. This specific “heavenly trap” is accessible to tourists for 500 meters.
” We if better defend like habitats”, says Dr Lina Shen, a leading hole researcher based in China. Crater are home to several endangered and rare plant species. We are continuing to make new revelations”.
Researchers are also interested in learning about how the Earth has changed over the past tens of thousands of years and how climate change has affected it. Tourists are now able to access Guangxi’s at least one hole to preserve its distinctive orchid varieties.
Bowen Hou @AUPH” Overdevelopment was seriously harm. According to Dr. Shen, the key to maintaining their original natural state is to strike a balance.
” Hot air balloons, robots for aerial pictures, and appropriate processes for observation from a distance was allow visitors to closely yet remotely watch sinkholes, while disturbing as several organisms as possible”.
Brother Fei does n’t disagree, and insists there are” clear rules” to protect the sinkholes and what they hold. They have transformed his life, according to him, and they are a priceless find. He is now one of Guangxi’s most qualified climbers and a renowned guide for both tourists and scientists, which has made him “very happy”.
He points to a cliff above us as we pass through the sinkhole’s acres of lush forest. When it rains, he advises us to return and watch the waterfalls that cascade down the side. It’s worth coming back for, he assures us.
As they encourage one another to abseil further into the cave, Rui and Michael are being made to feel safe. A narrow chasm lit up by a torch only appears beneath them. It’s all that remains of a river bed, the catalyst in making this sinkhole.
” We need to balance this joy with protecting this place”, Michael says, looking around him.
As he slowly descends and disappears into the cave, he smiles.
Fugitive Singapore lawyer Charles Yeo granted bail by UK court, put on curfew before extradition hearing
A UK court granted conditional bail to Singapore’s fugitive lawyer Charles Yeo on Friday ( Nov 22 ) while he is awaiting an extradition hearing.
Ellis, 34, will be subject to a midnight and be required to spend time at his hotel in central London every evening between nightfall and 8am as part of the problems.
According to court documents, he did be , “electronically monitored” during his law.  ,
At the location of the law, it’s typically necessary to wear an electronic label and have monitoring equipment installed there.  ,
This tag makes sure that someone is present during the designated hours of midnight. If they are not, it does warn a tracking facility.
Every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday, Yeo may be required to report to a policeman station between lunch and 2 p.m.  ,
Bail was set at £75, 000 ( US$ 94, 000 ) and the Home Office has to confirm it has Yeo’s passport before he can be released on bail.
He must never apply for or possess any “international travel hub,” as per court documents, and must not enter or travel there.
According to the jury, this will guarantee that he shows up at his next court appearance in December.
Singapore’s Attorney-General’s Chambers ( AGC ) and Ministry of Home Affairs ( MHA ) told CNA on Nov 13 that Singapore had sent a request to the UK seeking Yeo’s extradition.
In order to settle his lawyer’s say, funds were released to his law company in exchange for the offence of abetment of lying.
According to UK court records, this apparently took place between Jul 29, 2020 and Nov 30, 2020.  ,
On November 4, Yeo was detained by UK specialists.
Laos methanol poisonings: Free shots and beer buckets in party town
Social Media/HandoutBianca Jones and Holly Bowles, two American friends, took their first major adventure and set off to explore the world.
They were drawn to South East Asia’s love by traveling, where the food is excellent, the people are pleasant, and the scenery is breathtaking, like many other 19-year-olds.
According to their sports team coach Nick Heath, they had” saved up enough money after school and university to travel abroad,” as so many of our children do. ” And off they went”.
They arrived in northern Laos ‘ riverside village of Vang Vieng on November 12th.
The two checked into the well-known Nana Backpacker Hostel, which frequently offers free shots to visitors upon arrival. Both were placed in Thailand’s facilities on living help a few days later.
Jones’s death was announced on 21 November, and Bowles’s a day later. The death of a British female, 28-year-old Simone White, was likewise announced on Thursday.
Six foreign tourists have died in Vang Vieng from what is thought to be a large-scale methanol poisoning affair.
Two Swedish women, aged 19 and 20, died next year, while an American gentleman also died. They have not been identified.
Although it’s not yet known how many others have died, a multinational police investigation is currently being conducted into the murders.
The dormitory where some of the patients were reportedly staying has received a lot of the attention. Before leaving for the day, the girls had already gotten free shots it.
The hostel administrator has denied responsibility, claiming that at least 100 additional guests had reported problems when the same drinks were served to them that evening. Police questioned the boss on Thursday and on Thursday.
Mr Marsh, who spoke to press on behalf of Ms Bowles’s home, said they knew it was acetone that caused the ladies to fall unwell. However,” no one really knows how and where it entered their system.”
The BBC spoke with a minister and a backpacker about the place to explain what transpired.
Despite previous efforts to improve the town’s image with some success, our investigating found that while travelers are suspected of being methanol poisoned, they still appear to be mostly unaware. In contrast, the town’s residents have reported that the risk is still high.
Famous gathering town
The beauty in Vang Vieng, a small area on the Nam Song valley surrounded by stone hills and grain fields, is renowned.
Over the past ten years, Laos leaders have been working hard to remove the label of “party area” by the country.
It is a four-hour bus trip from the money Vientiane, where travelers from Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Vietnam can stop before heading north to Luang Prabang’s historic churches, where they have longer stayed on the Banana Pancake Trail.
In Vang Vieng, hostel bunks are advertised at less than €10 ( £8 ) a night, while a bucket of beer can cost half that. In cafes and restaurants, weed and vegetables are frequently on the verge of availability.
The city was known for its extreme dancing and river tubing in the early 2000s and early 2010. However, efforts were made to raise safety specifications after a number of visitors were killed or injured.
One European diplomat in the area told the BBC,” To overcome the river wire deaths, they destroyed a number of the river bars that were selling buckets of liquor to people floating by.”
Officials in Laos wanted to reorient the area so it can be used as a destination for ecotourism rather than just for the young and the drunk.
” And it worked”, they say. ” It’s genuinely changed a quite a lot in the past century, they’ve cleaned it up, it’s much more present than it used to be”.
However, as a result of that,” I think it can be very easy for younger travelers to overlook that this is still a pretty weak state with weak health requirements.”
The minister claimed that consulates and travel agencies are well-known for their knowledge of methanol poisoning, which is when alcoholic beverages are contaminated with a harmful compound.
The minister noted that consular offices are reportedly dealing with cases of travelers getting sick from dodgy beverages frequently.
South East Asia is regarded as having the worst cases of alcohol poisoning. Local producers of low drinking frequently fail to properly reduce the methanol concentration that is produced.
According to Doctors Without Borders ( MSF), the region records hundreds of fatalities annually.
But for visitors, awareness around corrosive alcohol is reduced.
English backpacker Sarisha claimed to have never taken the risk of completely drinks when she just spent time at Nana Backpacker.
Like most other dormitories, happy time were a normal staple at the location as well as free photos of native liquors as courtesies, she said.
” It’s a pretty group city”, she said.
Persisting concerns
After the surprising deaths, visitors who are still in community are now taking more precautions.
On Friday, Miika, 19, a Scandinavian traveller staying at a guesthouse only 10 minutes walk from Nana Backpacker, told the BBC he and his companions had arrived in town two days ago. Due to the inclusion of bullets, they were only able to order bottled beers and were now considering river tubing.
” Now because we know about this, we did n’t really want to go there”, he said.
After learning about the deaths, English lady Natasha Moore, 22, reported to the BBC that she had canceled her Nana Backpacker booking.
” It’s just so terrible, I feel so overwhelmed … it feels like I’ve escaped death, nearly like survivor’s guilt”, she said in a TikTok video warning other guests.
Two nights after the poison, her team arrived in the city, where” no one really understood what was happening.”
She claimed that there were indications in the dormitory warning people to be wary of drinking. She was aware that many people had chosen to leave the area.
She said she” ca n’t even count how many free drinks” she had on her travels, but over five nights in Vang Vieng, she and her friends had no free drinks or spirits, only bottled alcohol.
” I feel deeply sorry and unhappy for everyone who is still hospitalized,” she said. It’s just so cruel, we were simply trying to have a good time”, she said.
” We’ve worked hard to keep up to go journey, like it’s like a brave thing to do, and then something like that can happen”.
More reporting by Gavin Butler, Amy Walker and Jack Gray
A Letter to Myself Podcast: A mother’s battle to overcome drug addiction fuelled by the fear of losing her children
Isolation, mental instability and anger took over, and she could hardly speak her children’s cries.  ,
” I ( was ) losing myself to the drugs”, she said. ” That’s when I told myself: I’ve got to stop, but how” ? ,
Her decade-long addiction did n’t fully resurface until she was detained at a roadblock and given a year in prison.  ,
” I was in denial”, she said. ” But the moment the officer handed me my uniform, it struck me- I was going to be in ( prison ) for a year” . ,
The Central Narcotics Bureau’s yearly report earlier this year showed , more adult drug abusers being arrested in 2023, with the range rising 11 per share from 408 to 454. They now account for 15 % of all drug offenders who have been detained.
China opens Peru ‘bathing base’ port to fight Trump in trade war – Asia Times
China has pledged to expand business with South American nations through the use of its new container harbor in Chancay, Peru, and establish a new route for the shipment of goods there.  ,
In 2019, the state-owned Cosco Shipping Ports acquired 60 % of the Chancay interface from a Colombian sulphides worker for US$ 225 million. The port’s switch cost US$ 3.5 billion before being completed. According to Xinhua, the initial phase of the slot project reduces shipping times between China and Peru by 35 to 23 days, resulting in a 20%-plus-2 % reduction in shipping charges.
On November 14th, Xi Jinping, the Taiwanese president, held a meeting online in Peru to officially launch the Chancay megaport. Since then, Taiwanese press and commentators have been promoting the agency’s anticipated contribution to China’s expansion of trade and implementation of its Belt and Road Initiative. According to the pundits, the claims that Chinese exporters you relabel their goods or resell them and send them to the US are of particular interest to US trade warriors.
It’s still to be seen how that may turn out. Mauricio Claver-Carone, an assistant to US President-elect Donald Trump’s transition group, has said that the 60 % tariffs that Trump has vowed to impose on Chinese products may also apply to items that go through the fresh Chancay deep-water dock from any state.
” Any product going through Chancay or any Chinese-owned or controlled port in the region should be subject to 60 % tariff, as if the product was from China”, Bloomberg quoted Claver-Carone as saying in a phone interview.
He added that the work would protect the US from cargo, a process that allows Chinese goods to enter the US through a third region and finally re-export to the US at lower tax rates than strong shipments.  ,
He said cargo in Latin American countries, like as Mexico, has been a vital issue to the US for some time.
Follows’ cleaning outposts’ in Vietnam, Mexico
Some Chinese experts point out that this is not China’s first “bathing bases” set up abroad for the transshipment of its goods.
More and more Chinese firms are willing to “take a bath” by putting” Made in Vietnam” names on their semi-finished goods and re-export them to the US and Europe as a result of the growing business tension between China and the US, according to a Hubei-based journalist who uses the moniker” Yinlujiao” in an article.
He claims that China’s renewable products account for more than 90 % of the world’s business share and that the US and Europe are primary import locations for them. However, in recent years, Foreign thermal product manufacturers have been forced to set up factories and assemble their semi-finished goods in Vietnam to avoid additional tariffs due to trade barriers in Europe and the US.
He claims that Chinese center managers, suppliers, and manufacturers have all contributed significantly to Vietnam’s rapidly expanding cotton and technology industries.
In addition, many Chinese manufacturers of automobile, computer, and construction equipment have established factories in Mexico, trying to “wash away” their products ‘ country of origin and rebrand them as” Made in Mexico.”
Powerful re-exports
The new levies, according to the Global Times, are mostly symbolic because the US is not a major market place for Chinese steel and aluminum materials, despite US officials ‘ claims that the walk might close a significant gap that China had relied on to avoid US taxes.  ,
Since the US-China trade war broke out in 2018, Chinese companies have relied on Vietnam and Mexico as shipping centers to avert an additional 25 % US price, according to Ma Yu-chun, an assistant research fellow at the Chung-Hua Institute for Economic Research.
According to Ma, Chinese manufacturers gradually increased their local production capacities in Vietnam and Mexico to maintain low US tariffs when Washington began to complain about these transshipments. In such circumstances, he says, the US has to tighten its rules further – for example, by imposing tariffs on products that use Chinese components.  ,
According to a writer in Beijing who uses the pseudonym” Huashan Qiongjian,” the Trump administration might not want to impose additional tariffs on products from Peru because the US has a trade surplus with the South American nation.  ,
If steel products from Mexico are melted and poured in Mexico, Canada, or the US, the Biden administration announced in July of this year that they will be subject to a 25 % tariff.  ,
Trump frequently criticizes South American nations, including China and Mexico, but he says he rarely criticizes those who have a trade surplus with the US.  ,
Besides, he says, Chinese goods can first go to Japan, South Korea and Southeast Asia before departing for Chancay port. He claims that this approach can promote trade between China and its neighbors.  ,
In short, Beijing’s strategy to fight Trump’s war is simple: Ship its products to and assemble them in third countries before re-exporting them to the US. The US is unable to impose additional tariffs because the network’s sophistication makes it more difficult to do so.
Yong Jian, a Chinese journalist who specializes in Chinese technology, economy and politics, is a regular contributor to Asia Times.
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