PM commits to eliminating scam gangs preying on Thais

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Nearby states cooperating, problem may be taken seriously, she says

PUBLISHED: 25 Feb 2025 at 15: 55

Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, flanked by cabinet ministers, updates reporters on the government's efforts to eliminate the threat of call-scam networks, at Government House on Tuesday. (Photo: Royal Thai Government)
Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, flanked by government officials, changes writers on the administration’s efforts to eliminate the risk of call-scam sites, at Government House on Tuesday. ( Photo: Royal Thai Government )

Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra stated on Tuesday that the government would continue to fight against fraud groups operating in neighboring nations that are ripping off Thai citizens until the issue is resolved.

” As long as this difficulty exists, we will not stop our work. It must be taken seriously”, she said after the regular government meet.

The prime minister also stated that she would go to Sa Kaeo county, near to Poipet, on Friday, to see the issue. &nbsp, &nbsp,

Ms Paetongtarn said Tuesday’s government appointment was briefed on the president’s latest goes against call-centre fraud criminals preying on Thai citizens.

Numerous people were arrested as a result of the government’s total cooperation with China and Myanmar, which had sealed the borders of 14 counties.

The Defense Ministry was collaborating closely with nations where people who had been detained while conducting raids on gangs in Myawaddy wanted to return them fast.

Thailand, China and Myanmar had even set up a mutual board for bilateral deals on dealing with cross-border violence, Ms Paetongtarn said.

The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society, which was working with the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission ( NBTC ), Central Investigation Bureau ( CIB ), and state-owned National Telecom (NT ), briefed her on the removal of signal towers close to border areas, lowering the height and signal strength of others, and ensuring transmissions were only directed into Thailand. &nbsp,

Communications from authorized SIM containers had also been checked for networking scams. Exceptionally high usage was more examined to see if it was from fraudulent sales.

The prime minister said the administrations of Thailand, China, Myanmar and Cambodia were taking the hoax problem seriously. &nbsp,

She will travel to the border checkpoint in tambon Klong Luek, which is located directly contrary Poipet in Banteay Meanchey territory in Cambodia, close to Rong Kluea business.

She did closely examine the issue and make more aggressive efforts to eradicate the problem of scamming as soon as possible.

” As long as this difficulty exists, we will not stop our work. It must be taken seriously. We have received good responses to our efforts to solve the problem at this point, the primary minister said.

We can safely state that Thailand is taking the problem seriously and that its neighbors are also benefiting from it, Paetongtarn said. &nbsp,

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Alibaba making China tech investible again – Asia Times

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Alibaba Group’s headline-grabbing protest tops off what’s been an extraordinary month for Chinese tech companies.

In late January, the sudden appearance of made-in-China synthetic knowledge game DeepSeek pulled the rug out from under Wall Street’s” Trump business” group. Bettors predicted that US stocks would explode as a result of the US President Donald Trump’s plans.

Trump’s eagerness for AI, which he and his patron Elon Musk, contributed to the excitement. Trump punctuated the place on January 21, when he stood shoulder-to-shoulder with OpenAI’s Sam&nbsp, Altman, Oracle’s Larry Ellison and SoftBank’s Masayoshi Son at the White House to light a&nbsp, US$ 500 billion &nbsp, Al network project.

Weeks later, it seemed like old hat as DeepSeek’s claim caught world markets off guard. Its cost-effective AI model using less advanced chips precipitated a nearly$ 600 billion selloff in&nbsp, Nvidia’s shares&nbsp, alone — history’s biggest corporate loss in market capitalization.

Then Alibaba is again on the international scene with an passion that’s even caught global investors off-guard. It includes a large force into Al, in which Alibaba is investing confidently.

The business Jack Ma co-founded claims to have invested more than$ 53 billion in data centers and other AI system projects. Apple, nevertheless, is incorporating Alibaba’s Artificial services in handsets sold in China.

But Alibaba’s march might have arms for an even bigger purpose: Xi Jinping’s selection to, in the words of scholar Stephen Jen, “make Chinese equities investible again”, starting with software platforms.

Jen, CEO of Eurizon SLJ Asset Management, says that “in some ways, this is a call for a extended bounce-back in a long-depressed and unhappy business. However, there are now many more reasons to get good than bad about Chinese stocks and China in general.

After Trump called for greater scrutiny of international companies listed in the US, Alibaba’s wave hit a speedbump on Tuesday, along with Taiwanese technology companies in general.

But from Jen’s perspective, Chinese stocks will remain on roll for reasons including: regulation easing, signs the property sector is ultimately bottoming to support better consumer sentiment, the resilience of Chinese bonds and the yuan, a serious misjudging of China’s manufacturing and industrial prowess, low valuations, and signs the world remains thin Chinese assets.

Xi’s meeting with Ma and other mainland tech founders last week helped, too. Following Xi’s crackdowns, which started with Ma’s fintech tycoon Ant Group, China’s tech scene has been in a state of corporate limbo since late 2020.

Ostensibly, Ant’s planned$ 37 billion listing was scrapped after Ma criticized Beijing, suggesting policymakers don’t understand technology. Ma alleged that regulators were stifling innovation and that banks were having a “pawnshop mentality” in a speech delivered in Shanghai.

First, Ant’s initial public offering was pulled. At the time, it would’ve been history’s biggest. Next, Xi’s financial regulator put under a microscope a who ‘s-who of tech giants: search engine Baidu, &nbsp, ride-hailing giant&nbsp, Didi Global, e-commerce platform JD.com, &nbsp, food-delivery Meituan and gaming colossus Tencent, among others.

Ma effectively entered a political exile. Last week, when Xi invited Ma and other tech billionaires to a gathering that would put Chinese technology back in the ascendancy, that appeared to change. Ma sitting in the front row and Xi shaking his hand caused investors to sift into mainland shares with an unprecedented enthusiasm.

The scene suggested that “one of the world’s greatest living entrepreneurs” is “back into the good&nbsp, graces”, says analyst Bill&nbsp, Bishop, who writes the Sinocism newsletter. Bottom line, he says, “it’s an encouraging signal for private businesses”.

Daiwa analyst Patrick Pan notes that “from a long-term perspective, we turn more positive on the outlook for the China stock market”. China’s recent tech breakthroughs and pro-business pivot, he says, are “game changers for China stock prices”.

In March 2023, Alibaba unveiled the&nbsp, biggest restructuring &nbsp, in its 26-year history, splitting into six units and exploring fundraising or listings for most of them. At the time, Alibaba said the strategy is “designed to unlock shareholder value and foster market competitiveness”.

The six units included: domestic e-tailing, international e-commerce, cloud computing, local services, logistics and media and entertainment.

The market is the best litmus test, according to former Alabaster CEO Daniel Zhang, who remarked two years ago, and each business group and company can launch independent fundraising and IPOs when they are ready.

The enterprise was bigger than Alibaba, though. It served as a case study of sorts for China Inc. as Xi’s regulators attempted to mitigate risks and halt monopolistic tendencies among tech giants.

Given that Xi and Premier Li Qiang both claim that they want private companies to create more jobs and boost a troubled economy, the situation is quite a balance.

Ma’s Alibaba was an obvious place to start. It has long been a global representation of China’s tech goals and a symptom of Beijing’s tolerance for tech billionaires spreading their wings.

Now, after years of uncertainty, says Daniel Ives, analyst at Wedbush Securities, Alibaba just “delivered an inflection point quarter”, led by a stronger-than-expected cloud business and an expanding AI push that could represent the “next gear of growth”.

AI is” the kind of opportunity for industry transformation that only comes around only once every few decades,” as current Alibaba CEO Eddie Wu put it last week.

Wu added that” when it comes to Alibaba’s AI strategy, we aim to continue developing models that extend the boundaries of intelligence” and that AI may eventually “have a significant influence on or even replace 50 % of global GDP”

When it comes to cheap Chinese valuations, Alibaba could be Exhibit A. While some profit-taking might happen, the company is still trading between 35 % to 40 % below past highs.

However, Alibaba is under increasing pressure to act in order to validate investors ‘ bullishness.

According to HSBC Holdings analyst Charlene Liu, “fundamentals will have to be back in focus” in order to increase stock prices. Alibaba shows” a clear strategy to monetize AI and accelerate cloud revenue growth and margin improvement,” as evidenced by increasing its e-commerce market share.

The real onus, though, is on Team Xi to convince global investors broadly that China’s “uninvestable” days are over for good. &nbsp,

Over the last dozen years of Xi’s leadership, Beijing has too often slow-walked moves to strengthen capital markets, reduce opacity, scale back the role of state-owned enterprises, build a globally trusted credit rating system and increase regulatory certainty.

Clearly, the return of Hangzhou-based Alibaba to favor in Communist Party circles may be its own inflection point.

Recently,” Hangzhou’s innovation model has been lauded for fostering numerous superstar technology startups, dubbed the’ Six Little Dragons’ in markets”, says Carlos Casanova, economist at Union Bancaire Privée.

This, Casanova says,” suggests China may be preparing to adopt a Hangzhou-style model that promotes both hard technology and high value-added software and services in its upcoming 15th Five-Year Plan, expected to be unveiled this October. Although we won’t know for certain until the draft is made public, it appears that China is gearing up for a strategic turn in 2026.

However, it will be simpler to persuade global funds that the multi-year tech inquisition is over. Although handshakes and rhetoric are acceptable, it is more crucial to end the regulatory chaos that has persisted recently.

According to Jeremy Mark, senior fellow at the Atlantic Council,” this will take much more than optimistic pronouncements to restore confidence after months of undelivered promises.” Beijing has long sought out foreign institutional investors, but this uncertainty is unsettling.

The volatility of recent months, though”, has given Chinese officialdom greater incentive to pursue a tightly regulated, less volatile stock market — one in which the likes of insurance companies, pension funds, and other government-run behemoths hold sway over individual investors,” Mark says.

The order of the day, Mark adds”, will be to encourage long-term investments in large companies by offering bigger dividends, share buybacks, and — ideally—steady profit growth. ” &nbsp,

Of course, some people believe that concerns about market structure are overshadowed by the attractiveness of mainland valuations. &nbsp,

” Since January, the rally in the Chinese tech sector has been stunning, though the overall A-Shares market has not risen much,” says Jen of Eurizon SLJ.

Companies outside the tech industries are trying to do the same, just as Chinese tech companies are actively looking for ways to harness the power of rapidly advancing AI. Chinese companies are generally very eager to adopt the best technologies, especially if they are cheap.”

When the” Magic Seven” is so expensive, Jen adds,” Chinese equities ought to be in good standing if the collective’I Q’ of Chinese manufacturing can keep up with the best in the world.” ” The seven companies mentioned here are Apple, Microsoft, Google parent Alphabet, Amazon.com, Nvidia, Meta Platforms and Tesla.

The argument isn’t always clear-cut. As mainland stocks surged last week, so did Nvidia’s.

By the start of this week, the California-based company had recovered roughly 90 % of its market valuation losses. It’s a reminder that the AI boom is no particular nation’s to lose. And that Beijing’s desire to keep control might conflict with the success of disruptors like DeepSeek.

According to Bank of America analyst Vivek Arya,” The stock may be volatile following results, but we anticipate positive momentum to resume as investors look forward to Nvidia’s leading new product pipeline and total addressable market expansion into robotics and quantum technologies at the upcoming]Nvidia ] conference.”

The macroeconomic backdrop matters, of course. The upcoming Trump trade war and the high chances that they will cause inflation are still a source of uncertainty for the world.

” The upbeat mood seen among US businesses at the start of the year has evaporated, replaced with a darkening picture of heightened uncertainty, stalling business activity and rising prices,” says Chris Williamson, chief economist at S&amp, P Global Market Intelligence.

Companies, Williamson says”, report widespread concerns about the impact of federal government policies, ranging from spending cuts to tariffs and geopolitical developments. He states that the outlook for the rest of 2025 has shifted to “one of the gloomiest outlooks since the pandemic.”

Despite this, there is growing hope that Team Xi’s efforts to batten down the hatches and its exportation to global South nations will lessen its vulnerability to Trump’s bullying than many people had predicted.

China Inc. is also demonstrating that it has some serious game on playing fields Trump World takes for granted, and not just AI. Chinese biotech companies are exhibiting signs of developing drugs more quickly and affordably than their American competitors.

At the same time as Trump is empowering Tesla billionaire Musk to launch a disaster against America’s scientific research institutions, this includes cancer drugs.

In the case of Alibaba, though, investors are hoping Beijing’s multi-year battle with Chinese tech is officially over. To validate this optimism, Team Xi will need to make sure changes are being made so that the big meeting internet platform from last week is more than just a photo op.

Follow William Pesek on X at @WilliamPesek

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Wisut sees meet as path to resolve rift

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Thaksin, Newin chat to ‘ handle problems ‘

PUBLISHED: 25 Feb 2025 at 05: 10

Wisut Chainarun, the general government whip and a vital figure in the decision Pheu Thai Party, on Monday welcomed speak about Thaksin Shinawatra, the group’s de facto leader, and Newin Chidchob, the de facto leader of Bhumjaithai Party, conference last night to explain a growing gap between the two coalition parties.

According to reports, Deputy Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra also attended the same meeting. The rumored meeting took place just one day before the coalition party dinner, which is scheduled for Tuesday.

” These two senior figures ( Thaksin and Mr Newin ) agreeing to talk should lead to a way out of any political conflicts”, Mr Wisut. ” I think their discussions will turn out well. It’s always better to talk and improve understanding”.

When questioned if what he just said confirmed the existence of a rumored rift between the two parties, Mr. Wisut said both parties have been in discussions for some time about something he said isn’t severe enough to cause a problem in the coalition’s vote in the upcoming no-confidence debate.

” We ( Pheu Thai and Bhumjaithai ) will still walk side by side, and nothing has become serious between us. So, Bhumjaithai will still be in the government”, he said, responding to other rumours that Bhumjaithai might soon be cut from the coalition.

Meanwhile, Mr. Anutin rebuffed the claims made last night about Thaksin and Mr. Newin’s meeting, saying that it would not take place.

In his capacity as a senior figure in Pheu Thai, Deputy Prime Minister and Digital Economy and Society Minister Prasert Jantararuangtong downplayed political claims that Pheu Thai has been behind efforts to find out why Bhumjaithai was being investigated.

The investigations are coincidental, according to Mr Prasert.

Mr Wisut also denied an observation that a probe being conducted into a plot of golf course land in the Pak Chong district of Nakhon Ratchasima, which is allegedly linked to Bhumjaithai, for instance, has stemmed from Bhumjaithai’s lukewarm response to Pheu Thai’s charter amendment proposal.

He claimed that there are regular opinions on the subject, and that the Constitutional Court will eventually decide.

Pheu Thai didn’t order the probe into the land dispute matter, which is being conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, either, he added.

Wisut: No serious conflict in coalition

Wisut: No serious conflict in coalition

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Thaksin-Newin talks seen as path to patch rift

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In alliance, the prophets of Bhutan and Bhumjaithai want to” solve problems.”

PUBLISHED: 25 Feb 2025 at 05: 10

There is no serious conflict in the coalition government, says Wisut Chainarun, the chief government whip and a key figure in the ruling Pheu Thai Party.
According to Wisut Chainarun, the general government punch and a vital figure in the decision Pheu Thai Party, there is no major conflict in the coalition government.

Wisut Chainarun, the general government whip and a vital figure in the decision Pheu Thai Party, on Monday welcomed speak about Thaksin Shinawatra, the group’s de facto leader, and Newin Chidchob, the father of the Bhumjaithai Party, meeting on Monday night to explain a growing rift between the two coalition parties.

According to reports, Anutin Charnvirakul and Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra even attended the same conference. The rumored meeting took place only one day before the coalition party meeting, which is scheduled for Tuesday.

” These two senior figures ( Thaksin and Mr Newin ) agreeing to talk should lead to a way out of any political conflicts”, Mr Wisut. ” I think their discussions will have successful outcomes,” he said. It’s usually better to speak and improve understanding”.

When questioned whether what he just said confirmed the existence of a rumored gap between the two parties, Mr. Wisut said both events have been in discussions for some time about things he claimed isn’t serious enough to cause a problem in the government’s vote in the upcoming no-confidence conversation.

” We ( Pheu Thai and Bhumjaithai ) will still walk side by side, and nothing has become serious between us. But, Bhumjaithai will still be in the authorities”, he said, responding to various speculations that Bhumjaithai may soon be cut from the alliance.

However, Mr. Anutin rebuffed the claims that there would never be a conference between Mr. Newin and Thaksin.

Deputy Prime Minister Prasert Jantararuangtong, another Pheu Thai top figure, played down says that Pheu Thai has been behind goes seeking investigations against Bhumjaithai.

The examinations are accidental, according to Mr Prasert.

Mr Wisut also denied an observation that an research being conducted into a golf course owned by Mr Anutin’s home in Pak Chong city of Nakhon Ratchasima, for example, stemmed from Bhumjaithai’s lukewarm reaction to Pheu Thai’s constitutional article proposal.

He claimed that the Constitutional Court will eventually act on the issue because of the nature of divergent viewpoints.

Pheu Thai didn’t get the golf course research, which is being conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, he added.

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China war games nudge New Zealand closer to AUKUS – Asia Times

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In New Zealand and Australia, the presence of three Foreign naval vessels that fired live rounds in the Tasman Sea sprang out in a sense of concern. However, the actual event has more to do with the political context than the real situation.

In reality, the Chinese navy has basic freedoms on the high lakes and is permitted to perform exercises in the Tasman. China’s behavior so much seems to be in line with both the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and the Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea.

There was no commitment to provide this, despite the fact that New Zealand would have preferred to be given more details about the objectives of the Chinese navy.

The Tasman’s current situation is not at all comparable to the more ferocious saber-rattling the Chinese government has exhibited around the South China Sea, most lately involving both the American and Spanish navies.

And in September of last year, the Chinese tested a nuclear-capable international weapon into the South Pacific just a few weeks after Australian and New Zealand warships sailed through the Taiwan Strait.

For China, of training, Taiwan and parts of the South China Sea are greatly disputed territory. The Tasman Sea is no. But what is disputed is China’s position and control in the Pacific – and this, rather than a small marine workout, is what is causing problems in Canberra and Wellington.

The Cook Islands issue

The instant context for that problem is the surprise contract signed by the Cook Islands and China two fortnight before, which aims to “deepening orange economy cooperation.”

The agreement steers clear of contentious topics like surveillance and security. But it moves Chinese control into infrastructure support for quay, manufacturing and maintenance, and sea travel.

How this opens the South Pacific up to yet greater Chinese control and exercise is what really challenges New Zealand’s international policy. Winston Peters, the foreign secretary, has indicated that a new arrangement needs to be established.

China has argued for its part that its connection with the Cook Islands “is not directed against any next party and should not be subject to or disrupted by any third group.”

In other words, China has advised New Zealand to ignore a significant growth in its previously friendly diplomatic and political ties to its Pacific cousin.

A Chinese personal purpose?

All of this is occurring within a fast altering sociopolitical context. Another main powers like Russia and China are adapting, and US President Donald Trump is formally trying to upend the aged US-led world order.

New Zealand’s relations with China were now difficult. State-sponsored Chinese intervention in domestic politics, political system breaches, and other destructive computer activity have been identified by the Security Intelligence Service and the Government Communications Security Bureau.

The key question is then whether China’s subsequent actions have led to an own goal. The same may now be more probable, despite the fact that it might like New Zealand to have a more independent foreign policy that balances its relations with East and West.

New Zealand has always tended to work harder and to develop stronger ties with its classic allies in times of global stress and uncertainty.

Whether it is the concern of Russian war in the 19th centuries or Chinese invasion in the 20th century, and whether or not those dangers are actual or imagined, New Zealand returns to form.

It has been doing this for almost 150 ages, and it’s likely to happen once more. New Zealand is now pondering how to react to the restored global system from the Trump administration and will be looking for ways to bolster the friendship.

The government then appears to be enticed to a new arms race and to boosting defence spending as a percentage of GDP. Additionally, it may be much easier to socially buy the rumored advantages of joining the next level of the AUKUS security pact.

Alexander Gillespie is professor of law, University of Waikato

The Conversation has republished this post under a Creative Commons license. Read the original post.

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India bans two drugs behind opioid crisis in West Africa

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6 days ago
Vicky Wong

BBC News

BBC Eye Investigations

BBC World Service

BBC The back of a packet of Tafrodol - it is black with "Tafrodol caps 120 mg" written in white, and has an image that looks like an X-ray of a body.BBC

In response to a BBC investigation that revealed two highly addictive drugs were a source of public health problems in some parts of West Africa, Indian officials have banned them.

Dr. Rajeev Singh Raghuvanshi claimed that the authorization to produce and export the medicines had been withdrawn in a text seen by the BBC from India’s Drugs Controller General.

BBC Eye found one pharmaceutical company, Aveo, had been illegally exporting a harmful mix of tapentadol and carisoprodol in countries like Ghana, Nigeria, and Cote D’Ivoire.

The Mumbai factory owned by the company has since been raided, according to India’s Food and Drug Administration, and its whole stock has been seized.

The round from Dr Raghuvanshi, dated to Friday, cited the BBC research in his decision to ban all mixtures of fact and effects, which was to be implemented with quick effect.

He added that this was done after authorities “examined the potential for drug abuse and its detrimental effects on inhabitants”

Carisoprodol is a muscle relaxant, and prompts is a potent opiate, making it so addictive that it is illegal in Europe.

In the US, four is permitted for short-term use up to three weeks. Withdrawal indicators include stress, depression and hallucinations.

The combination of the two medicines, which have breathing problems and convulsions, and which have fatalities when overdosed, is not permitted to be used anywhere in the world.

Despite the risks, these drugs are common street medicines in many East African countries, because they are so affordable and widely available.

Piles of cardboard boxes and large packages wrapped in plastic stacked up to the ceiling inside a warehouse.

Publicly-available trade statistics show that Aveo Pharmaceuticals, along with a girl firm called Westfin International, has shipped thousands of these devices to Ghana and other North American states.

On the pavements of Nigeria and in Ivoirian towns and cities, these medications with the Aveo brand were likewise discovered for sale by the BBC World Service.

Nigeria, with a population of 225 million individuals, provides the biggest market for these medications. According to the government’s National Bureau of Statistics, it is estimated that about four million Nigerians use some form of narcotic.

In one of Aveo’s factories in India, where they filmed one of its executives Vinod Sharma, showing off the same hazardous materials the BBC found for sale in West Africa, the BBC also sent an incognito agent posing as an American entrepreneur looking to sell opioids to Nigeria.

The executive claims in the quietly captured video that Sharma’s goal is to sell the pills to Nigerian teenagers,” who all adore this product.”

Sharma replies,” OK,” before explaining that if people take two or three supplements at once, they may “relax” and accept that they can get “high.”

Towards the end of the meeting, Sharma says:” This is very dangerous for the health”, adding that “nowadays, this is company”.

When the BBC’s preliminary research was released, Sharma and Aveo Pharmaceuticals did not respond to a request for comment.

In a statement released on Friday, India’s Food and Drug Administration said a bruise procedure resulted in the seized of Aveo’s whole property and the suspension of farther production. More legal action will be taken against the business, it added.

The organization stated that it was “fully ready” to take legal action against anyone who engages in “illegal activities that tarnish the country’s popularity.”

Additional inspections have been ordered by the FDA to stop the drug source, according to the statement.

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Trump’s bow to Putin no cause for panic, yet – Asia Times

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Under the Trump presidency, the United States ‘ unwavering allegiance to Ukraine appears to be rapidly deteriorating after three years of fighting Russia.

On February 19, 2025, President Donald Trump referred to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as” a despot” and made up his own accusation of the war that Russia started as a border region land get.

Zelensky, however, said on February 19 that Trump is trapped in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “disinformation place”.

The US and Russia are holding discussions in Saudi Arabia without including Ukraine in order to end the conflict, which is getting worse.

The US and Russia have long been enemies, and the US, to day, has given Ukraine more than US$ 183 billion to help battle against Russia. However, that cash came when Joe Biden was in office. Trump doesn’t seem to have an anti-Ukraine bias.

Tatsiana Kulakevich, a professor of Eastern German politics and international relations, spoke with The Conversation to discuss the repercussions of this sudden change in Trump’s approach to US-Russia plan.

In initial conversations, Kulakevich sees Trump’s actions as being part of a calculated plan rather than as being self-interested.

A person holds a newspaper that shows back-to-back profiles of two men in black and white.
On February 19, 2025, a passenger on an airplane reads a Financial Times post about Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump. Photo: Horacio Villalobos Corbis / Corbis via Getty Images/ The Talk

Does you describe the current relationship between Russia, Ukraine, and the US?

Because the US and Russia are merely having experimental discussions, people shouldn’t get anxious. We may not call them peace deals, per se, at least not yet.

Because there isn’t much to discuss in Saudi Arabia, it was expected that Ukraine wouldn’t be invited to the deals. Other than agreeing to resume normal operation of each other’s diplomatic missions, we are unsure of what the US and Russia are really discussing.

People believe that Russia and the US are in like. But, Trump’s Russia plan has been more aggressive than generally portrayed in the media. Looking back at the previous Trump administration’s report, we can see that if everything is done in the US’s pursuits, then it will not be done. Trump does not do benefits.

He approved the sale of anti-tank missiles to Ukraine in 2019. That same year, Trump withdrew from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, an arrangement with Russia that limited what arms each state was order, over Russian transgressions.

Trump also imposed financial sanctions on a Russian ship that was involved in the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines in 2019. These sanctions attempted to stop Russia’s immediate fuel exports to Germany, but Ukraine perceived this link as a threat to the country.

Based on Trump’s talks with Russia and notes against Ukraine, it could seem like the US and Russia are no longer enemies. How do you think this is?

There are no conclusive evidence that Russia and the US no longer had a relationship with one another. Despite Trump’s infrequent usage of terms like “friends” in politics, his language usually serves as a tactical movement rather than a real shift in partnerships. His interaction with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, where Trump alternated between politeness and threats to extort money, is a prime example.

Even if the US is meeting with Russia and the public tale seems to suggest then, carefully, abandoning Ukraine is not in the United States ‘ best interests. One reason for this is that the US’s rejection of Ukraine did bring both China and Russia joy. Trump has viewed China as a major risk to the US, and it has supported Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is even quoted as saying that everyone will be present for a potential peace agreement, including Ukraine.

Before this national election, there was a long-running campaign claiming that Russia was holding some data over Trump and blackmailing him, but that this was before Trump started imposing measures against Russia during his first name.

More than 50 policy steps were taken by the first Trump administration to combat Moscow, mainly through public statements and restrictions.

What benefits does Russia’s political relationship offer the US?

Trump is a contextual politician. As some Russian officials have said in recent Saudi Arabian deals with the Trump administration, British businesses may benefit from US alignment with Russia and Soviet businesses.

But the US may also benefit financially from the Trump government’s proposed bargain with Ukraine to give the US quarter of Ukraine’s estimated US$ 11.5 trillion in unusual earth minerals.

This year, Zelensky rejected that suggestion, claiming that it does not include the assurance that the US will continue to provide Ukraine with security guarantees.

Generally, since the Cold War, there has been a political square between the Soviet Union – after Russia – China and the US. And there have always been rival edges on both sides. Trump may be trying to distance himself from China by trying to establish a better political relationship with Russia.

A similar dynamic is playing out between the US and Belarus ‘ autocratic president, Alexander Lukashenko, a co-aggressor in the conflict in Ukraine. Ukraine has close ties to both China and Russia.

In exchange for the transfer of imprisoned people of Belarus ‘ political opposition, the US administration is considering a relaxation of sanctions against Belarusian businesses and export of potash, a crucial component of fertilizer.

There are over 1, 200 political detainees in Belarus. This US international policy approach aims to give Lukashenko the opportunity to grow less financially dependent on China and Russia.

A person brushes snow at a gravesite that has photos of people on crosses and blue and yellow flags.
A contractor clears snow from a cemetery in Kramatorsk, Ukraine, on February 17, 2025. More than 46, 000 Russian soldiers have died in battle, according to some estimates, since Russia’s war in February 2022. Photo: Pierre Crom / Getty Images/ The Talk

Is this level of collaboration between the US and Russia exceptional?

While US-Russia ties are often defined by conflict, history shows that pragmatic cooperation has occurred when both countries saw mutual benefits – whether this relates to arms power, area, terrorism, Arctic affairs or wellbeing.

In addition, the US has always given its own objectives precedence over those of Russia. For instance, the US and its allies imposed restrictions on Russia’s plutonium and copper companies just in May 2024, over two decades after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. If America sanctioned plutonium and nickel, it would have had to balance its proper economic ties and concerns about market stability.

The US and other European nations imposed mainly symbolic sanctions after Russia invaded Crimea in 2014, which Russia claims to have its own and supported Russian hardliners in Ukraine’s Donbas region. This included chilling goods of Russian people, restricting some financial dealings and limiting Russia’s exposure to Western technology.

We may also take note that Trump promised to sanction Russia if the Ukraine war does not end in January 2025. Despite the opinions of a near relation between Trump and Putin, the US continues to evade any existing sanctions, which shows its commitment to a hard stance on Russia.

Trump’s harsh speech on Zelensky may be a deliberate negotiation strategy intended to pressure Ukraine into making more concessions in future peace talks more than signaling abandonment, given his transactional nature in terms of foreign policy.

Tatsiana Kulakevich serves as associate professor of education at the University of South Florida’s School of Interdisciplinarity.

This content was republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original content.

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Democratic Party: Hong Kong’s main opposition party to dissolve

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7 minutes before
Martin Yip

BBC Chinese

Reporting fromHong Kong
Tessa Wong

BBC News

Reporting fromSingapore
EPA Close-up of Lo Kin-hei as he speaks to reportersEPA

The Democratic Party’s leaders in Hong Kong have made it known that they intend to break what was once the state’s largest opposition group.

People will soon vote on the final choice on whether to shut down the 31-year-old group, president Lo Kin-hei said.

Following China’s efforts to impose opposition in the area following the protests in 2019, the group has been struggling to survive.

According to Beijing and the government of Hong Kong, these actions were essential for national protection.

As part of the assault, Beijing overhauled the erstwhile British colony’s voting systems.

The so-called “patriots law” was passed in Hong Kong in 2021 that ensured only people regarded as loyal to the Communist regime in Beijing could serve as lawmakers or local councillors in the semi-autonomous territory.

Essentially, this law forbade the Democrat Party from participating in elections.

Mr. Lo claimed that the group’s leaders had called the party’s officials to end its operations based on the” current political situation” at a late-night media conference on Tuesday following a group meeting.

” Developing democracy in Hong Kong is always hard, and it’s especially hard in the past few years”, Mr Lo said to investigators.

When asked if the party’s officials had made a decision under social force, he replied that he had not commented.

For the closure process, the group has established a work team. At least 75 % of its people who will be present at a subsequent public meeting will need to review the move before it becomes final. A time for that conference has not been determined.

Regina Ip, a top Hong Kong government official, accused the Democrat Party of” constantly causing difficulty inside and outside legislature” on Wednesday.

” Therefore I am never surprised at all that they have been losing followers in recent years… the Democratic Party has already reached a dead conclusion”, said Ms Ip, co-convener of Hong Kong’s cabinet-like Executive Council.

In 2010, the Democratic Party and the Liaison Office, the Taiwanese Communist government’s representative in Hong Kong, had one of the most exclusive strong discussions to come up with ideas for more democratic elections.

Its younger people, but, saw those conversations as a betrayal. The decision led to a broken and the party lost support.

After winning the most votes in the 2019 local government elections, which took place during the harsh anti-government protests, it then regained its strength and became the most effective opposition political power in the town.

A number of the Democratic Party’s members – including prominent pro-democracy figures Helena Wong, Lam Cheuk-ting, Wu Chi-wai and Albert Ho – are among the Hong Kong 47 group of campaigners jailed under the controversial national security law.

Another member, former legislator Ted Hui, is now living in Australia in exile and is wanted by the Hong Kong government for alleged national security offences. Earlier this week a court issued an order to confiscate his assets and money in Hong Kong, which are held by his family and a law firm.

After the former attorney lost his appeal against an illegal assembly faith, Hong Kong granted Martin Lee Houston, a key founder of the Democratic Party, the honourable Justice of the Peace title in December.

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Apink concert in Singapore: K-pop icons deliver highly-entertaining sets that show off their mature sound

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In: South-East Asia

Chorong, Bomi, Eunji, Namjoo and Hayoung delivered their A-game for three whole days, serving singers, techniques, and, unexpectedly, laughs. &nbsp,

One of the funniest things that ever happened at a music I’ve ever attended was when the five Apink members praised the show’s speaker April Kim for singing out her rendition.

” You can be our sixth part”, they said, unknowingly including former associate Son Na-eun who left Apink in 2022. The trade drew a lake of “oohs” and laughs from supporters, including myself.

The people of Apink executed music like Dumhdurum, Five and I’m So Ill to excellence. Personally, I thought they had the best solo performances when they each covered a song with all of their charms and intelligent side, which was how they each performed.

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Kim Sae-ron’s death exposes South Korea’s celebrity culture

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In: Asia
22 hours ago
Kelly Ng

BBC News

EPA Kim Sae-ronEPA

Actress Kim Sae-ron‘s death in an apparent suicide has renewed criticism of South Korea’s entertainment industry, which churns out stars but also subjects them to immense pressure and scrutiny.

After being found guilty of drink-driving in 2022, Kim, 24, had been bombarded with negative media coverage and online love. She became so unpopular, displays featuring her were edited out of exhibits.

According to experts, the circumstances that led to her death are bleakly comfortable. Another famous people committed suicide after their professions were ruined by abuse.

Researchers don’t believe Kim’s death may cause any significant change because she was laid to rest on Wednesday.

South Korea’s leisure business is enjoying huge popularity.

There are more than 220 million Asian pleasure fans worldwide today, which is four times the number of South Koreans.

However, the less beautiful part of the entertainment business is gaining more and more attention.

South Korea is renowned for having a highly competitive society in all areas of life, from learning to work. One of the highest suicide rates among developed nations is in it. While its total death rate is falling, incidents of those in their 20s are rising.

This force is heightened in the case of stars. They are subjected to the needs of obstinate” very viewers” who can make or break careers and are under a lot of pressure to be perfect.

Also the slightest mistake may be the end of a job because of this.

” It is not enough that the stars be held accountable by the authorities.” They become goals of continuous criticism”, Korean culture writer Kim Hern-sik told the BBC.

He made reference to K-pop musicians Sulli and Goo Hara, both of whom had endured much battles with online trolls, despite the fact that they had never had any legal encounters. Sulli and Goo Hara passed away in 2019 by death.

Sulli had offended fans for not conforming to the K-pop mould, while an internet mob had targeted Goo Hara over her relationship with an ex-boyfriend.

A true Fish Sport

Bullying has also become a money-making job for some, Asian culture critique Kim Hern-sik told the BBC.

” Influencers get the opinions, communities get the proposal, news outlets getting the traffic. I don’t think]Kim’s death ] will change the situation.

” There needs to be harsher legal consequence against leaving dirty comments, “he says.

Kim Sae-ron’s parents claims a YouTuber caused her death, claiming that the contentious films they published caused her severe emotional distress.

Others have criticized some neighborhood media outlets, who allegedly reported the unsubstantiated allegations as fueling open animosity against Kim.

Citizens ‘ Alliance for Democratic Media, a civil rights organization, said in a speech on Tuesday that” this cycle of media-driven character assassination has quit.”

The spate of star deaths in South Korea was compared to a real-life type of Squid Game, the North Korean Netflix movie that sees the obliged fighting to the dying for a sizable cash prize, according to Na Jong-ho, a psychology professor at Yale University.

How many more lives may get lost before we stop inflicting this devastationous, stifling sorrow on individuals? Our world abandons those who stumble and techniques on as if nothing happened. “he wrote on Twitter.

” Crazy moving is a huge mistake. If that continues to go unnoticed, then our legal system would suffer. However, a world that buryes those who fail without giving them a second chance is not one that is good, Prof. Na continued.

Last year, the BBC reported on how “super fans” in the notorious K-pop industry try to dictate their idols’ private lives – from their romantic relationships to their daily activities outside of work – and can be unforgiving when things go off script.

It is no surprise that Kim Sae-ron chose to withdraw from the public eye after her DUI conviction, for which she was fined 20 million won ( £11, 000 ) in April 2023.

It is worth noting nevertheless, that not all people images are subject to the same care. Officials, including opposition leader Lee Jae-myung, even have past drink-driving views but have been able to bounce back- elections show Lee is now the country’s leading presidential candidate.

In South Korea, it is” really hard” for artistes to return when they do something that puts a hole in their” hero “image, says K-pop journalist Jeff Benjamin.

He contrasts this to entertainment companies in the West, where disputes and scandals often yet” include a rockstar-like advantage” to celebrities ‘ reputations.

” While no one applause when a Hollywood superstar is arrested for DUI ( drinking under the influence of alcohol or drugs ) or sent to jail for major offences, it’s not always career-ending, “he says.

Although there have been efforts made by the Korean entertainment industry to handle artists ‘ concerns about mental money, it is unclear how efficient these efforts have been.

According to Mr. Benjamin, real change can only occur when like aggressive monitoring is no longer financially or financially supported.

If you have been affected by any of the issues in this story you can find information and support on the BBC Actionline website here.

Jake Kwon provided extra monitoring in Seoul.

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