Opinion Archives - Page 32 of 45

Army of fake fans boosts China’s messaging on Twitter

10Jun

By Desk TeamNo Comments

Army of fake fans boosts China’s messaging on Twitter

BRUSSELS (AP) — China’s ruling Communist Party has opened a new front in its long, ambitious war to shape global public opinion: Western social media. Liu Xiaoming, who recently stepped down as China’s ambassador to the United Kingdom, is one of the party’s most successful foot soldiers on this evolving online battlefield. He joined Twitter in October 2019, as scores of Chinese diplomats surged onto Twitter and Facebook, which are both banned in China. Since then, Liu has deftly elevated his public profile, gaining a following of more than 119,000 as he transformed himself into an exemplar of China’s new sharp-edged “wolf warrior” diplomacy, a term borrowed from the title of a top-grossing Chinese action movie. “As I see it, there are so-called ‘wolf warriors’ because there are ‘wolfs’

Politician killed in Kashmir, detainee shot dead in camp

9Jun

By Desk TeamNo Comments

Politician killed in Kashmir, detainee shot dead in camp

SRINAGAR, India (AP) — Assailants fatally shot a politician belonging to India’s ruling party in disputed Kashmir, and separately, police on Thursday killed a detainee who they said snatched an officer’s rifle and fired at officials inside a police camp. The unidentified assailants shot Rakesh Pandita late Wednesday in the southern town of Tral, where he was visiting a friend, police said, blaming anti-India rebels for the attack. He was declared dead in a hospital. Rebels in Indian-controlled Kashmir have been fighting the central government for decades. Suspected militants carried out a string of deadly attacks last year on members of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party in Kashmir. Among those killed was a top BJP politician and his father and brother, who were also p

Taking absolute positions on the crisis in Israel and Gaza is easy and comfortable, but ultimately pointless

9Jun

By Desk TeamNo Comments

Taking absolute positions on the crisis in Israel and Gaza is easy and comfortable, but ultimately pointless

Last Saturday, the Jerusalem Post reported that, “Tens of millions of Evangelical Christians are expected to pray for Israel in their churches on Sunday.” Fair enough, but I doubt they also prayed for the people of Gaza, who have little protection against Israel’s bombardment, no iron dome, and already live in appalling conditions. Better, surely, for Christians to pray for justice, peace, a fair and balanced solution, and the dignity of all people in the region, whatever their faith or politics. I say this as an ordained Anglican cleric with three Jewish grandparents, one of them from a Holocaust family. I’ve also spent a great deal of time in Israel, and reported on the 2006 Lebanon War. In other words, I have connection as well as experience. And it breaks my heart when churches turn

US extended the hands for friendship to Europe to side line China

8Jun

By Nectar GanNo Comments

US extended the hands for friendship to Europe to side line China

Washington DC. US: US President Joe Biden side-lines China and said Unites States and Europe can closely work together. Let’s not let the China to write the global rules governing trade and technology.In an opinion article for Washington Post on Saturday, Biden said the US must lead the world from a position of strength to address issues like coronavirus, climate crisis, and the challenge posed by "harmful activities of the governments of China and Russia"."While in Brussels, I'll meet with the president of the European Commission and the president of the European Council to discuss how the United States and Europe can work in close coordination on global challenges. We will focus on ensuring that market democracies, not China or anyone else, write the 21st-century rules around trade and

RCMP begin crackdown on Fairy Creek blockade

8Jun

By Desk TeamNo Comments

RCMP begin crackdown on Fairy Creek blockade

Fairy Creek old-growth activists are worried the RCMP will move into protest camps and make arrests with impunity while denying media and other legal observers the ability to scrutinize their enforcement of an injunction order on southwestern Vancouver Island. On Monday morning, the RCMP launched the first phase of operations to enforce a court injunction involving protesters who have been blocking access to various stands of ancient rainforest for more than eight months within the Teal-Jones tree farm licence (TFL) 46 near Port Renfrew. Police have set up a “temporary access control area” to begin enforcement of the court order, RCMP said in a statement issued Monday. The temporary measure will limit entry into the region to ensure Teal-Jones can commence and complete its operations in

The Latest: Israeli airstrikes hit buildings, roads in Gaza

8Jun

By Desk TeamNo Comments

The Latest: Israeli airstrikes hit buildings, roads in Gaza

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - The Latest on the continuing violence between Israel and Gaza’s militant Hamas rulers amid the latest escalation in the Middle East: ___ GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Israeli warplanes have struck several buildings and roads in a vital part of Gaza City early Sunday. According to photos circulated by residents and journalists. the airstrikes created a crater that blocked one of the main roads leading to Shifa, the largest hospital in the strip. The Health Ministry said the latest airstrikes left at least two dead and 25 wounded, including children and women. It said rescuers are still digging through the rubble and had so far pulled up five wounded. Two hours into the heavy bombardment, there has been no comment from the Israeli military. ___ UNITED NATIONS -

Today’s coronavirus news: Ontario reports 2,759 new COVID-19 cases and 31 deaths; province extends stay-at-home order until June

5Jun

By Desk TeamNo Comments

Today’s coronavirus news: Ontario reports 2,759 new COVID-19 cases and 31 deaths; province extends stay-at-home order until June

The latest coronavirus news from Canada and around the world Thursday. This file will be updated throughout the day. Web links to longer stories if available. 7:03 p.m. Alberta has moved to close loopholes people might use as a way to avoid wearing masks in public indoor places, The Canadian Press reports. Dr. Deena Hinshaw, chief medical officer of health, said Thursday that effective immediately, anyone not wearing a mask where required will need to have a medical exception letter, according to CP. Wearing masks remains a “critical public health measure” to help stem the spread of the COVID-19 virus and there are a “limited number of health issues” for which a mask exception is possible, she said. Those include sensory-processing disorders, developmental delay or cognitive impairment

‘Aren’t we human and worth life?’ Palestinian artist’s murals of ‘hope’ destroyed by airstrikes in Gaza

5Jun

By Desk TeamNo Comments

‘Aren’t we human and worth life?’ Palestinian artist’s murals of ‘hope’ destroyed by airstrikes in Gaza

Ismail Matar has been in this position before. Watching his artwork destroyed. Thinking about when it will be safe to paint again. Matar, 23, is a Palestinian student and artist living in Gaza. In recent years, he has gained a following on social media, sharing his art to more than 5,500 followers on Instagram, and earned praise from people around the world, including some in Canada. Last weekend, as Israeli airstrikes hit Gaza, Matar took cover and watched buildings crumble. His murals — like one of a long, blue octopus with arms outstretched representing the trapped feeling under occupation — painted on city and building walls near several refugee camps, turned into piles of dust and rubble. “The house I live in dances with every bombing. Black smoke is rising around us,” Matar wrote

Tensions flare at Israel-Palestinian demonstrations in Montreal, Toronto

4Jun

By Desk TeamNo Comments

Tensions flare at Israel-Palestinian demonstrations in Montreal, Toronto

Tensions ran high at competing demonstrations over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in both Montreal and Toronto this weekend. Police in Montreal confirmed they responded to a conflict that erupted between protesters and counter-protesters at a rally in support of Israel near the city’s downtown Sunday afternoon. People were heard shouting “Free Palestine” as they ran from police, who fired chemical irritants into the air. The pro-Israel rally comes one day after thousands attended a pro-Palestinian march in Montreal to demand an end to Israeli airstrikes over the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, police in Toronto say they’ve laid charges in connection with a pro-Palestinian demonstration that drew more than 5,000 people to Nathan Phillips Square outside City Hall on Saturday night. A 22-year-o

Taiwan’s representative office to be renamed as ‘Taiwan Diplomatic Review Act’ suggested by US Lawmakers.

2Jun

By Nectar GanNo Comments

Taiwan’s representative office to be renamed as ‘Taiwan Diplomatic Review Act’ suggested by US Lawmakers.

Washington, US: The Taiwan’s representative office is being rename as 'Taiwan Diplomatic Review Act' in the US. This was introduced by US lawmakers to provide diplomatic visas to Taiwanese diplomats to bolster ties between Washington and Taipei.In a statement on Friday, Democratic Representative Brad Sherman and Republican Representative Steve Chabot from the US House of Representatives said that they had jointly proposed the act, reported Focus Taiwan.Sherman and Chabot said that the US policy refers Taiwan as 'Taiwan' and not 'Taipei' or 'Chinese Taipei', the Coordination Council for North American Affairs (CCNAA) was renamed "Taiwan Council for US Affairs" (TCUSA) in 2019."Following this longstanding policy, the Taiwan Diplomatic Review Act directs the Secretary of State to enter into