Global Pulse

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  • US sanctions Tanzanian police official over ‘torture’ of rights activists

    US sanctions Tanzanian police official over ‘torture’ of rights activists

    In a landmark move that marks the first foreign sanctions targeting a senior official under Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s administration, the United States has imposed entry bans on senior assistant police commissioner Faustin Jackson Mafwele over credible allegations of his involvement in gross human rights violations against two East African human rights activists.

    The allegations center on an incident from May last year, when Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi and Ugandan activist Agather Atuhaire traveled to Tanzania to monitor the high-profile trial of prominent opposition leader Tundu Lissu. The pair were detained by Tanzanian authorities for multiple days before being released, and both have since detailed brutal abuse they endured in custody. Mwangi claims he was stripped naked, suspended upside down, beaten repeatedly on his feet, and subjected to sexual assault, while Atuhaire has alleged she was raped during her detention.

    In a formal statement released late Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed the designation of Mafwele, affirming that credible evidence ties the senior police official to the detention, torture, and sexual assault of the two activists. While the statement does not explicitly outline Mafwele’s direct role in the incident, Riley Barnes, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, emphasized that the action is a critical step toward holding perpetrators of this heinous abuse accountable. The designation formally bars Mafwele from entering the United States.

    Tanzania’s Foreign Affairs Minister Mahmoud Thabit Kombo told the BBC that the Tanzanian government has not yet received formal notification of the sanctions. Tanzanian police previously dismissed the activists’ abuse allegations as unfounded hearsay and personal opinion, and the BBC’s request for additional comment following the U.S. announcement has not yet garnered a response.

    The sanctions come amid growing international scrutiny of Tanzania’s human rights record, which has deteriorated in recent years despite early hopes of reform under President Samia. Samia took office in 2021 following the death of hardline former President John Magufuli, and initially earned international praise for rolling back some of Maguufi’s most restrictive political policies. In recent years, however, political space has narrowed sharply, with documented crackdowns on opposition voices, civil society organizers, and independent freedom of expression.

    Tensions escalated further following Tanzania’s disputed October general election last year, which saw Samia re-elected with 98% of the vote after all major opposition challengers were barred from running. The opposition dismissed the result as a blatant mockery of democratic process, and widespread post-election protests left hundreds dead. A government-appointed commission of inquiry announced last month that 518 people were killed during the unrest, including 191 shot to death, though the report refused to name the parties responsible for the killings. It instead blamed foreign-backed groups for inciting the violence, a claim rejected by opposition leaders and international human rights groups, who put the actual death toll even higher and accuse state security forces of gunning down unarmed protesters.

    Tanzanian authorities have acknowledged using force against protesters, justifying the action by claiming groups were plotting a violent coup to overthrow the elected government. Samia has repeatedly defended the election as free and fair, echoing the commission’s claim that foreign actors orchestrated the unrest to destabilize her administration.

    Global human rights organizations have long pushed for accountability over the activists’ 2024 detention. Amnesty International called for an urgent investigation immediately after the incident, labeling the arrest, incommunicado detention, torture, and forced deportation of the two activists a blatant violation of international human rights law. Human Rights Watch also highlighted the case in its 2025 country report on Tanzania, framing it as part of a broader systemic crackdown on dissent.

    Just days before the sanctions were announced, a group of U.S. lawmakers publicly called for harsher punitive measures against Tanzania to push back against what they describe as accelerating democratic backsliding in the East African nation. Last December, the U.S. government already accused Tanzania’s government of systemic repression of religious freedom and free speech, noting that these actions have put U.S. citizens, tourists, and American commercial and strategic interests at risk, while threatening decades of productive security and development cooperation between the two nations. Tanzania has not yet issued a formal response to that December accusation.

  • Beijing bans Nvidia’s top graphics card to back domestic rivals

    Beijing bans Nvidia’s top graphics card to back domestic rivals

    The ongoing technological rivalry between the United States and China entered a new, more tense phase this May, when Beijing implemented a sudden ban on imports of Nvidia’s RTX 5090D V2 – a customized graphics card built specifically for the Chinese market to comply with existing US export controls. The unexpected restriction, which took effect on May 15, the same day US President Donald Trump’s delegation left Beijing after high-level summit talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, has delivered a fresh setback to Chinese domestic gamers and independent AI hobbyists, who relied on the chip for both leisure and small-scale development work.

    First reported by the Financial Times, the RTX 5090D V2 was added to China’s banned import list during the summit. Built on Nvidia’s cutting-edge Blackwell architecture, the chip had only received approval for sale in the Chinese market back in August 2025, after years of incremental adaptations by Nvidia to navigate successive rounds of US export restrictions.

    This ban compounds growing pressure on Nvidia, which already faces a Chinese government push to domestic firms to prioritize locally produced chips over the company’s premium H20 and H200 AI chips. Industry analysts estimate that the H200 line alone could generate more than $14 billion in annual revenue for the US semiconductor giant for the Chinese market. The timing of the ban is particularly striking: Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang joined Trump’s Beijing delegation at the last minute, which had stoked widespread market expectations that he could secure formal approval for continued H200 sales in the country.

    Alongside the chip ban, the Trump-Xi summit produced a key breakthrough on AI governance talks. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced that Washington and Beijing have opened discussions to establish binding safety guardrails for advanced artificial intelligence. The core goal of these talks is to prevent the most cutting-edge AI models from falling into the hands of criminal organizations and terrorist groups, while preserving space for continued commercial technological development. Bessent noted that the US entered these talks from a position of strength, holding a clear technological lead over China in the AI sector. He added that cross-border working groups from both nations will soon launch formal consultations to craft shared safety standards that do not stifle innovation or industry growth.

    Despite the growing tensions over semiconductor trade, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told reporters that chip export controls were not a central topic of negotiation during the bilateral summit. “This was not a major topic of discussion at the bilateral meeting. We did not talk about chip export controls at the meeting,” Greer stated, though he acknowledged that US chief executives in attendance raised individual corporate concerns during the summit. Greer also emphasized that any final decision on allowing H200 imports rests with Beijing.

    Industry observers and commentators point out that the impact of the RTX 5090D V2 ban extends far beyond consumer gaming. While the card is marketed as a high-end gaming graphics processing unit (GPU), independent and hobbyist AI developers across China have relied on it to access Blackwell architecture computing power at a time when sales of Nvidia’s full-powered enterprise AI GPUs are blocked by US controls. Many of these developers use consumer-grade RTX cards to run and fine-tune open-source large language models (LLMs) such as Meta’s Llama series, Google’s Gemma, and China’s own DeepSeek from home-based workspaces.

    “Although the RTX 5090D V2 appears to be a gaming graphics card, its actual uses go far beyond that,” explained a columnist for Hainan-based news outlet Kdnet.net. “Because access to Nvidia’s more powerful AI graphics processing units has been restricted, many Chinese AI developers have been using the RTX 5090D V2 to tap into the computing power of Nvidia’s Blackwell architecture for AI training and inference tasks. In other words, banning this card is equivalent to cutting off a back channel that allowed indirect access to Blackwell computing power while circumventing export controls.”

    The columnist added that the move reflects a clear shift in China’s approach to the US-China chip war: “What is unfolding points in one clear direction. The US is using export controls to pressure China, while China has decided it no longer wants even downgraded versions of foreign chips, turning instead to homegrown alternatives. This episode marks a new phase in the US-China chip contest, though where it ultimately would lead remains to be seen.”

    This latest restriction is the culmination of years of back-and-forth adaptation in the US-China semiconductor trade. The cycle began in October 2022, when the previous Biden administration introduced sweeping new export rules that banned sales of Nvidia’s top-tier A100 and H100 AI chips to China. Nvidia responded by launching downgraded, export-compliant variants – the A800 and H800 – specifically built for the Chinese market. In October 2023, Washington tightened restrictions further, adding the A800, H800, and consumer RTX 4090 graphics cards to the banned list. Nvidia again adjusted, launching the even more scaled-back H20 AI chip. After taking office, the Trump administration initially banned H20 exports in 2025, before later reversing course and approving exports of both the H20 and H200.

    Even with US approval, however, Chinese government guidance urging domestic tech firms to prioritize local chips such as Huawei’s Ascend 910B has resulted in zero H200 imports to date. A nearly identical pattern has played out in the consumer graphics card segment: when Nvidia launched its flagship RTX 5090 in January 2025, it designed a downgraded RTX 5090D variant for China, but Washington blocked that shipment. A further adjusted, lower-spec version – the RTX 5090D V2 – launched in China last August, only to be banned by Beijing this May.

    The ban opens up new market opportunities for Chinese domestic graphics card manufacturers, including Lisuan Technology, Moore Threads, and Biren Technology. But some analysts question whether Chinese consumers will readily shift to local alternatives. Consumer tech commentator Renjian Siliang, based in Henan, noted that for most mainstream 4K gaming use cases, the difference between the full-spec RTX 5090 and the downgraded 5090D V2 is barely noticeable, as Nvidia only cut non-core performance features. The gap becomes far more apparent, however, for 8K gaming, large 3D rendering workloads, and small-scale AI development work.

    Critically, Chinese consumers still have access to Nvidia’s RTX 5080, which falls outside the scope of current US export controls. While the RTX 5090 is 30% to 68% faster than the 5080, the 5080 still outperforms the top Chinese-made graphics card by a factor of multiple times. The most advanced current offering from domestic producer Lisuan Technology, the LX 7G100, is only comparable to Nvidia’s last-generation RTX 4080, leaving a substantial performance gap for both enthusiast gamers and independent AI developers.

  • ‘Really disturbing’ detail as charges are dropped against Sydney artist for displaying Nazi symbols in his artwork

    ‘Really disturbing’ detail as charges are dropped against Sydney artist for displaying Nazi symbols in his artwork

    After nearly a year of high-profile criminal proceedings that sparked fierce debate over artistic freedom and free speech in Australia, prosecutors have abruptly withdrawn all criminal charges against a regional New South Wales artist accused of unlawfully displaying Nazi symbols in a provocative political satire piece. Michael Agzarian, a Wagga Wagga-based creator, expressed profound relief Friday after the prosecution dropped the main charge related to his controversial window display, alongside a separate minor offense of offensive language in a public area. Agzarian had maintained a not guilty plea from the start, framing his work as a sharp critique of far-right ideological alignment among high-profile Australian public figures.

    The polarizing artwork, which debuted in the front window of Agzarian’s Wagga Wagga retail space, superimposed the faces of four leading Australian figures—MPs Clive Palmer, Peter Dutton, and Michael McCormack, along with mining billionaire Gina Rinehart—onto illustrated bodies of 1940s German military personnel, complete with period-appropriate ranks, medals, and insignia. The case originated in 2023, after McCormack filed a formal complaint with local police. The charge carried severe penalties: a maximum of 12 months behind bars and an AU$11,000 fine for violating laws against public display of Nazi symbols without a valid legal excuse.

    As Agzarian exited the Downing Centre Local Court Friday, he was joined by a crowd of fellow artists and free speech advocates, many carrying signs in support of his work. One demonstrator wore a keffiyeh with a “Never give up” placard and an attached note reading “Free Gaza,” a visible demonstration of broad grassroots solidarity behind the artist’s case.

    Nick Hanna, Agzarian’s defense lawyer, described the entire prosecution as a deeply troubling moment for Australian democratic norms. “We have a very long, proud tradition of political satire in this country,” Hanna told reporters outside the court. “The very idea that an artist could face criminal charges and even prison time for that tradition is deeply disturbing. This case marks a defining moment for free speech in Australia.”

    Hanna further clarified the context of the piece, noting the uniform references were a deliberate nod to the 1960s American sitcom *Hogan’s Heroes*, a comedy that mocked the Nazi regime whose core cast included multiple Jewish actors. He also confirmed his client did not initially recognize the specific insignia qualified as proscribed Nazi symbols, and that the entire point of the work was to draw a critical parallel between the Australian public figures depicted and Nazi ideological beliefs. “Michael was dragged through this prosecution for almost a year, and he never should have been charged in the first place,” Hanna added.

    Following the withdrawal of charges, Hanna filed a motion demanding the New South Wales government cover his firm’s AU$12,715 in legal costs, arguing the proceedings were launched without reasonable cause. The application brought a stunning revelation to light: as early as April 2023, a senior sergeant solicitor with the NSW Police legal advice unit concluded in a written email that none of the symbols in Agzarian’s work qualified as prohibited under state or federal law, and explicitly classified the piece as political satire.

    Court proceedings revealed that after receiving that initial legal assessment, police sought a second opinion to green-light prosecution. Hanna conceded the artwork did include identifiable Nazi symbols, but argued the clear artistic and satirical purpose protected Agzarian from criminal liability. The prosecution initially attempted to claim professional legal privilege over the damning internal police email, before ultimately acknowledging it was part of the public court record.

    While Judge Karen Stafford rejected Hanna’s claim that the prosecution was initiated without reasonable cause—ruling there was a legitimate, arguable legal question over whether the symbols qualified for an artistic exception to the law—she ultimately ruled that exceptional circumstances justified awarding full legal costs to Agzarian. The months-long delay between setting the case for trial and the prosecution’s decision to drop charges met the threshold for exceptional circumstances, she ruled, making a cost award just and reasonable. The prosecution has been ordered to transfer the full AU$12,715 to Hanna’s legal firm within the required timeline.

  • Stephen Colbert joined by Sir Paul McCartney for The Late Show finale

    Stephen Colbert joined by Sir Paul McCartney for The Late Show finale

    After three decades on air, Stephen Colbert hosted the final episode of CBS’s iconic *The Late Show* on Thursday night, closing out the program’s legendary run with a surprise, star-studded farewell headlined by former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney. First launched in 1993 with David Letterman at the helm, the late-night comedy franchise passed to Colbert in 2015, who went on to helm 11 seasons of sharp satire, celebrity interviews, and viral comedy segments before CBS announced its unexpected cancellation in July of the previous year.

    Staying true to his signature dry wit, Colbert opened the finale with his trademark opening monologue, telling the packed audience at New York’s Ed Sullivan Theater that the episode would stick to its regular format rather than leaning into an over-the-top special tribute. For much of the hour, the identity of Colbert’s final guest remained a closely guarded secret, with A-list celebrities including Bryan Cranston, Paul Rudd, and Ryan Reynolds making playful cameos to jokingly campaign for the honor, only to be turned away by Colbert in a pre-planned comedic bit.

    In one of the night’s most memorable gags, Colbert — a devout Catholic who had previously stated he dreamed of interviewing Pope Leo XIV for his final episode — introduced his guest as a visitor from the Vatican, only for a staffer to interrupt and reveal the pope had refused to leave his dressing room over unmet snack requests. The bit ended with a single arm emerging from behind the door marked “Pope Leo XIV” to toss out a hot dog, leaving Colbert feigning panic over his missing headliner.

    That set up the night’s big reveal: Sir Paul McCartney, who joked he just “happened to be in the area”, stepped in as the final guest. The pair wandered through decades of history tied to the Ed Sullivan Theater, reminiscing about The Beatles’ groundbreaking 1960s appearances on the landmark *Ed Sullivan Show* and the band’s first U.S. tour. McCartney reflected on what America meant to the early Beatles, noting “the U.S. was where all the music we loved came from — all the rock ‘n’ roll, the blues, the whole thing. America was just the land of the free, the greatest democracy. Yes, that was what it was. That’s what it still is, hopefully.”

    To close the show, Colbert and McCartney led the entire *Late Show* crew and staff onto the stage for a rousing performance of The Beatles’ classic “Hello, Goodbye”, before the pair headed backstage to turn off the theater lights for the final time.

    The finale capped off weeks of tributes from across the entertainment industry. In the lead-up to the final taping, A-listers including Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Bruce Springsteen dropped by to honor Colbert’s 11-year tenure, while fellow late-night hosts Jon Stewart, Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, and John Oliver all came together to pay their respects. Out of respect for Colbert, both Fallon and Kimmel chose not to air new episodes of their own shows on the night of the finale.

    Original host David Letterman, who has openly criticized CBS’s cancellation decision, returned as a guest the week prior, where the pair revived one of Letterman’s most beloved classic segments: throwing furniture and watermelons off the theater roof onto a giant CBS logo painted on the ground below.

    Outside the Ed Sullivan Theater, hundreds of dedicated fans gathered one last time under the show’s glowing marquee, holding handwritten signs reading “Thank You Stephen” and “Colbert for President” to share their grief over the end of the show. Sarah Thompson, one fan in attendance, told the BBC that Colbert’s departure would leave “a big hole in America” because “you need to laugh at the end of the day.” Another superfan, Wendy Sloan, booked an eight-hour transatlantic flight from Amsterdam to New York, skipping sleep entirely just to make it to the finale, saying “I would have really done anything to be here today.”

    CBS’s decision to cancel the long-running franchise sparked widespread speculation when it was announced, particularly because Colbert emerged as one of former U.S. President Donald Trump’s sharpest and most consistent critics on late-night television. Many political commentators suggested the cancellation could have been driven by political pressure, but CBS pushed back on these claims immediately, stating last year that the move was “purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night [television]” and “is not related in any way to the show’s performance, content or other matters.”

  • Western Australia College of Agriculture Morawa closes after wrong bait used to combat mouse plague

    Western Australia College of Agriculture Morawa closes after wrong bait used to combat mouse plague

    A devastating mouse plague that has swept through farming regions of Western Australia’s Mid West has forced an agricultural college to shut its doors for urgent deep cleaning, after pest control contractors incorrectly deployed a highly toxic commercial-grade bait that poses serious risks to human health.

    The Western Australia College of Agriculture Morawa, located roughly 360 kilometers north of Perth, sits at the epicenter of the current rodent outbreak. After the incorrect poison was applied to tackle the infestation, all students and staff were immediately ordered to evacuate the campus while remediation works are carried out, with local authorities confirming the poison in question was MouseOff — a product containing both zinc phosphide, classified as a dangerous Schedule 7 poison that can cause harm even at low exposure levels, and bromadiolone, an extremely toxic substance that can be absorbed through skin contact or ingestion.

    This is not the first time the product has caused public health concerns. Back in 2021, Australian agricultural safety body AgSafe issued urgent warnings following a spike in hospitalizations across New South Wales, linked to improper use of zinc phosphide-based baits including MouseOff in residential spaces near ventilation systems.

    Western Australia’s Department of Education confirmed the closure was implemented as a strict precautionary measure to protect the wellbeing of the college community. “To ensure the health and wellbeing of all students and staff, the Department is undertaking a thorough deep clean of all affected areas,” explained Lisa Criddle, the Department’s Midwest Director. “Arrangements were made for students remaining in Morawa to attend Morawa District High School during the closure. The Department is working with relevant authorities to ensure a safe environment at the College and welcome students back as soon as possible.”

    A spokesperson for WA Health said the department is providing ongoing guidance to education officials, noting that “based on information so far, the risk to staff and students at the school is low and we are continuing to work with education staff to provide support.” The closure comes just weeks after WA Health issued a widespread public health alert amid the explosion of the mouse plague across regional parts of the state, urging residents to take strict precautions when handling dead rodents to avoid disease exposure.

    The current outbreak has been described as one of the worst in recent decades for Western Australia’s agricultural heartland. Farmers across the Mid-West, Wheatbelt and Goldfields-Esperance regions have reported finding thousands of rodent burrows per hectare of cropland, with scientific estimates putting peak mouse populations at up to 8,000 mice per hectare in the worst-affected paddocks. For local communities, the crisis has upended daily life: Morawa Shire President Karen Chappell said residents and business owners are forced to collect dozens of mouse carcasses every single day, with rodents infiltrating every part of domestic and commercial life.

    “There’s always that terrible smell of dead mice,” Chappell said earlier this week. “It’s a bit like going back to Covid again, washing your hands constantly, using hand sanitiser, and being really, really careful because it is risky from a disease perspective. I’ve heard of people that had mice in their beds, the other day someone opened their oven and 14 mice jumped out, I live with it as well. You open draws and mice have been in, they chew your books, they get into cars, they eat wiring, they get into the back of dryers or washing machines and into air conditioners.”

    In response to the growing crisis, the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) this week approved an emergency application from Grain Producers Australia for limited use of a higher-strength ZP50 mouse bait, a product that was last approved for emergency use between 2021 and 2023 during the record mouse plague that devastated New South Wales’ grain belt. APVMA Chief Executive Officer Scott Hansen stressed that the approval followed a rigorous, evidence-based assessment required by law to protect public health, wildlife and the environment.

    “The APVMA prioritises emergency permits to support farmers and communities when they need us most,” Hansen said. “This prioritisation does not mean taking shortcuts in examination of the product and the way in which it is proposed to be used, including its potential impacts on human health, wildlife and the environment.”

    As the deep cleaning operation continues at Morawa’s agricultural college, local officials have stressed that student safety remains the top priority, with no set timeline for reopening pending clearance from public health authorities.

  • Indonesia tightens control over key commodities in major trade takeover, influencing global exports

    Indonesia tightens control over key commodities in major trade takeover, influencing global exports

    In an unexpected policy shift that has sent ripples through global resource markets, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto announced Wednesday a sweeping overhaul of the nation’s trade rules for its most critical natural resources, granting a newly created state-owned enterprise full control over all exports of coal, palm oil, and iron alloys by September. The sudden move has drawn comparisons from analysts to a hostile government takeover of core industries in one of the world’s most resource-rich nations, with far-reaching consequences for global supply chains and major economic powers alike.

    Prabowo framed the reform as a necessary correction to decades of systemic tax evasion by private exporters, telling lawmakers that unreported sales have cost the country as much as $908 billion in lost revenue. The policy is designed to shore up declining government foreign reserves, which have been depleted by global energy shocks stemming from the ongoing war in Iran. Beyond boosting public finances, the president said the new framework will crack down on illegal practices including under-invoicing, transfer pricing, and diversion of export earnings, while strengthening state oversight of strategic commodity trade.

    The state entity tasked with taking over these export operations, PT Danantara Sumberdaya Indonesia, was officially registered just one day before Prabowo’s public announcement. The firm is 99% owned by Danantara, the sovereign wealth fund Prabowo launched in 2023, and the new structure will give the Indonesian government direct influence over global pricing for its key commodities. Yvonne Mewengkang, a spokesperson for Indonesia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, described the overhaul as a critical governance reform that will boost accountability and transparency in the country’s management of strategic resources.

    Under the transition timeline laid out by Indonesian officials, private companies will be required to transfer all export and import transactions to the new state entity between June and August, with full state control in place by September. Coordinating Economic Minister Airlangga Hartarto noted that the government will provide detailed guidance to all foreign and domestic investors before June 1, emphasizing that the initial phase of the policy will focus primarily on improving trade reporting transparency. Still, many trade analysts have expressed skepticism that the government can pull off such a massive industry takeover in less than four months, warning of potential disruptions to established trade networks.

    As the world’s top exporter of thermal coal for power generation and palm oil — a ubiquitous ingredient used in everything from cosmetics to transportation biofuels — and holder of the planet’s largest proven nickel reserves, a critical mineral for electric vehicle batteries and stainless steel production, Indonesia’s policy shift will be felt across every major global economy. Nickel’s central role in the global clean energy transition makes this move particularly consequential for industries racing to expand renewable energy capacity and electric vehicle manufacturing.

    China, Indonesia’s largest trading partner and a dominant investor in the country’s critical mineral sectors, will face the most immediate impact from the policy change, experts agree. Li Shuo, a senior fellow with the Asia Society Policy Institute’s China Climate Hub, noted that Indonesia’s resources form the foundation of China’s global leading position in electric vehicles, batteries, and advanced industrial manufacturing. “Indonesia has become vital to China,” Li said, adding that “the relationship is evolving.” Lie Xie, a researcher with UK-based think tank Third Generation Environmentalism, said China is closely monitoring the nationalization move and assessing its potential impact on future bilateral cooperation, noting that “the future path that Indonesia is taking is highly important for China.”

    The swift implementation timeline threatens to disrupt supply for China’s fast-growing clean technology sector, which relies heavily on Indonesian raw materials to meet booming global demand for renewable energy hardware. Even before the official announcement, the China Chamber of Commerce in Indonesia submitted a five-page protest letter to the Indonesian government, highlighting widespread investor concerns over an increasingly unpredictable business climate. The letter accused Indonesian regulators of “excessively stringent regulation, over-enforcement, and even corruption and extortion” that have “severely disrupted normal business operations” and eroded long-term investment confidence. Bhima Yudhistira, an economist with the Jakarta-based Center of Economic and Law Studies (CELIOS), said Prabowo moved forward with the takeover despite Chinese pushback, calling the sudden move “very, very shocking.”

    Analysts say the policy shift is part of a deliberate strategy by the Prabowo administration to diversify foreign investment in Indonesia’s resource sectors by reducing China’s outsize influence, a move that could open new doors for American and other Western investors looking to secure alternative supply chains for critical minerals. “Such a move is a clear signal that U.S. investment is being attracted to come to Indonesia even more,” Yudhistira said, though he warned the takeover will likely force a renegotiation of nearly all existing contracts held by Chinese firms in the affected sectors, and will intensify the global race for critical resources between the United States and China. Yudhistira characterized the policy as an outright “hostile takeover” of core industries.

    Whether the reform ultimately succeeds in attracting new foreign investment will depend heavily on how transparent the government is during implementation, according to Syahdiva Moezbar of the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air. Right now, many domestic and international private stakeholders remain unclear on how the new system will work, particularly for small-volume traders, specialized product exporters, and downstream processing industries. Eddy Martono, chairman of the Indonesian Palm Oil Association, said the full impact of Danantara’s takeover on the sector is still undefined, noting that “exporters usually already have their own established markets; we must ensure we do not lose these markets if they are not managed properly.”

    Beyond China, other major importers of Indonesian coal, palm oil, nickel, and iron alloys including the United States, European Union, India, Japan, South Korea, and Southeast Asian neighbors Malaysia, Vietnam, and the Philippines will also face potential supply chain disruptions from the policy change. The reform is the latest in a series of moves by the Prabowo administration to expand state control over strategically important natural resources, including crackdowns on unlicensed mining, government takeovers of unauthorized plantations, and incentives to build out a domestic critical mineral refining industry.

  • Police helicopter, dog squads called in after man flees alleged break-in, crashes into parked cars in Vaucluse

    Police helicopter, dog squads called in after man flees alleged break-in, crashes into parked cars in Vaucluse

    A large-scale law enforcement search is unfolding across Sydney’s eastern suburbs after a suspect allegedly fled the site of a suspected residential break-in, crashed their vehicle into multiple parked cars, and escaped into the surrounding area on foot.

    The chain of events began shortly after 1:30 p.m. local time on Friday, when New South Wales Police received an emergency call alerting them to a possible break-and-enter in progress on Davies Avenue in the affluent harborside suburb of Vaucluse. Roughly 15 minutes after the first report came in, authorities got a second call about a vehicle collision just a short distance away on Serpentine Avenue. Eyewitnesses at the scene told police that a moving vehicle had slammed into multiple unoccupied parked cars along the street.

    According to official accounts, the driver of the vehicle involved in the crash abandoned the car and ran away before the first responding police units arrived at the crash site. NSW Police have confirmed that the two separate incidents are connected, laying out the alleged sequence of events: investigators believe the suspect first broke into a private property on Davies Avenue, fled the scene in their vehicle, then caused the crash a short time later on Serpentine Avenue before running off.

    The connected incidents have prompted an extensive search effort, with multiple specialized police resources deployed to locate the at-large suspect. Local residents have seen an increased visible police presence across the Vaucluse area, with officers on foot and canine units searching through local streets and green spaces. Law enforcement has also been assisted by the Polair police helicopter, which has been conducting aerial searches of the suburb to help track the suspect’s movements.

    In an official media statement issued shortly after the events unfolded, NSW Police confirmed that no people were hurt in the crash, and there have been no reported injuries from the incident to date. Police are urging any local residents who may have seen suspicious activity, spotted someone matching an unknown male’s description in the area, or have dashcam or security camera footage from Davies Avenue or Serpentine Avenue on Friday afternoon to contact the emergency number or local police station immediately to assist with the investigation. Updates on the manhunt will be provided as more information becomes available.

  • Serbia’s protesting students renew pressure on Vucic with a big weekend rally

    Serbia’s protesting students renew pressure on Vucic with a big weekend rally

    BELGRADE, Serbia — As a new year of political opposition unfolds in the Balkan nation, Serbia’s dissident university student movement is preparing to stage its first major mass gathering this weekend, reigniting a grassroots campaign for sweeping systemic change under the long-ruling authoritarian administration of President Aleksandar Vucic.

    Organizers expect thousands of participants to travel from across the country to converge on Belgrade’s iconic Slavija Square on Saturday, a location already etched into the nation’s recent protest history. This site hosted a massive anti-government demonstration last March, a gathering that ended abruptly amid contested claims that state forces deployed a sonic weapon against peaceful attendees — an allegation Vucic’s government has repeatedly denied.

    This student-led movement first emerged as a formidable political force in late 2024, galvanized by public outrage over the Novi Sad train station collapse that killed 16 people. The tragedy struck a deep chord across Serbian society, with widespread public belief that the disaster stemmed from endemic corruption and systemic negligence in state-funded infrastructure projects. What began as a call for accountability quickly ballooned into a months-long nationwide movement: students blocked university faculties across the country throughout 2025, successfully forcing the resignation of former Prime Minister Milos Vucevic and his entire cabinet. Protesters argued this step was insufficient, however, and have continued to demand early national elections — a call Vucic has so far refused to answer.

    Last year, the movement anchored a sweeping wave of anti-corruption street protests that posed one of the most significant threats to Vucic’s power in years. Today, student leaders say their efforts are now focused on upcoming national elections, expected to take place either later this year or in 2027, which they aim to use to remove Vucic’s right-wing populist government from power.

    “We hope a great many people will join us, spend the day with our movement, and continue standing with students as we prepare for these elections,” youth movement representative Isidora Jovanovic told the Associated Press. “Serbia is long overdue for change, and students are the ones who will deliver that change.”

    Tensions have already been building in the capital in the lead-up to Saturday’s rally. On Tuesday, police were forced to intervene to separate pro-Vucic loyalists from students printing “Students win” protest materials. Just days before that confrontation, an elderly man was injured when a driver rammed through a student-organized traffic blockade in central Belgrade. These incidents are not isolated: political violence has marred opposition gatherings for months, including clashes that disrupted local elections last March.

    Jovanovic emphasized that event organizers have taken extensive steps to prevent unrest at Saturday’s gathering, noting that many attendees will be traveling from out of town. “We do not want any of our fellow citizens to leave with a bad experience or injuries,” she said.

    Political analysts note that the once-reactive student movement has matured into a cohesive political force capable of challenging Vucic’s long-dominant Serbian Progressive Party. Dusan Vucicevic, a professor at Belgrade’s Faculty of Political Sciences, told the AP that the movement commands broad cross-public support and is positioned to deliver strong results in any future election.

    “We finally have a legitimate political group that can effectively challenge the Serbian Progressive Party and Aleksandar Vucic himself,” Vucicevic said.

    Vucic has not remained passive in the face of this growing opposition. Pro-government media outlets have repeatedly labeled student protesters and other critics as foreign-backed terrorists and agents seeking to destabilize Serbia, a rhetoric that has deepened the country’s already stark political divisions. For Saturday’s rally, Vucic’s loyalists are expected to occupy a pro-government park camp outside the presidency building that Vucic established last March, widely seen as a deliberate buffer against opposition demonstrations. Multiple attacks on protesters and journalists have been reported near the camp since its establishment.

    Allegations of excessive force by police and arbitrary detentions of opposition activists have drawn sharp international scrutiny of Vucic’s government. The European Union has warned that Serbia’s ongoing democratic backsliding could result in the loss of roughly 1.5 billion euros ($1.8 billion) in accession funding allocated to the country as a candidate for EU membership.

    Despite rising tensions and the threat of confrontation, a new generation of young Serbs is stepping up to join the movement, expressing unshakable optimism that political change is within reach. Branislav Vasic and Filip Novakovic, both 19-year-old freshmen at the Faculty of Political Sciences, confirmed they will be among the attendees at Saturday’s rally, saying standing with older opposition leaders is a matter of principle.

    “Everyone has an obligation to join this rally, given the state of our country,” Vasic said. “I’m convinced that as long as people want change, we have the strength to deliver it.”

    Novakovic echoed that sentiment, framing the moment as a historic opportunity for his generation to finish the work past generations could not complete. “We are all in this together, and we are one step away from a better future,” he said. “This is a long struggle, and I will keep fighting for it as long as I live.”

  • Australian man dies after falling down ravine on hike to Machu Picchu

    Australian man dies after falling down ravine on hike to Machu Picchu

    A 53-year-old Australian man has lost his life in a tragic hiking accident on Peru’s iconic Inca Trail leading to the ancient citadel of Machu Picchu, after he fell hundreds of meters down a steep ravine when a wooden railing he grabbed for support collapsed, local law enforcement and rescue authorities confirmed.

    The victim has been identified as Matthew Cameron Paton, a serving member of Victoria’s police force in Australia who had traveled to Cusco, the gateway city to Machu Picchu, roughly 12 days prior to the incident alongside his wife. The accident unfolded on Wednesday, when Paton was hiking the famous mountain route as part of a group that included other tourists and a local trail guide. According to initial accounts from regional police, Paton tripped while crossing an aging wooden footbridge along the route. When he reached out to steady himself by grabbing the adjacent wooden railing, the structure broke away entirely, sending him plummeting into the deep ravine below.

    Local police received immediate reports of the missing hiker moments after the fall, and a full-scale search operation was launched that same afternoon by regional authorities, led by the Cusco High Mountain Rescue Unit. Recovery teams located Paton’s body on Thursday, roughly 300 meters (984 feet) down the steep slope near the trail’s well-known “50 Gradas” section, a rugged stretch popular among trekkers heading toward Machu Picchu.

    In comments to Peruvian state news outlet Andina, General Virgilio Velasquez, chief of the Cusco Police Region, confirmed the details of the operation and the accident. “We have information indicating that he apparently tripped while crossing a wooden bridge and he likely tried to hold onto the wooden railing,” Velasquez said. “But it gave way and he slipped into the abyss along with it. Unfortunately, he fell down the ravine.”

    Paton’s body is currently being prepared for transfer to a nearby municipal mortuary in the region, and local authorities have launched an official investigation into the root causes of the accident, including an assessment of the condition of the trail infrastructure where the collapse occurred.

    News of Paton’s death has prompted an outpouring of grief from his colleagues back in Australia. In an official statement, The Police Association of Victoria (TPAV) said its staff and membership were stunned and deeply saddened by the passing of one of their own in the overseas accident. “Matt’s contribution to policing, through both his role in training police and as a TPAV Assistant Delegate, was representative of the care and concern he had for his colleagues and his want to give back to policing,” the association said.

    Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has confirmed it is providing full consular support to Paton’s family, who are now navigating the process of repatriating his remains back to Australia. “We send our deepest condolences to the family at this difficult time,” a department spokesperson said.

  • Sudan’s war has left thousands missing. Many are buried in unmarked graves

    Sudan’s war has left thousands missing. Many are buried in unmarked graves

    Three years into Sudan’s brutal civil conflict, more than 8,000 people remain unaccounted for, leaving their relatives trapped in a torturous limbo of not knowing whether their loved ones are alive or dead. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) confirms these missing persons numbers, a devastating byproduct of a war that has ripped apart countless households across the nation. People have disappeared while fleeing violence, fallen victim to unrecorded combat deaths, or been secretly detained, leaving their families in perpetual psychological agony.

    For Azaher Abdallah, that agony has stretched for more than a year. Her husband, 38-year-old Fahmy al-Fateh — a farmer and merchant who joined Sudan’s national army when the war broke out — left their home before sunrise in January last year. He called her on his way out, saying he would stop at the market before returning home after completing his assignment for the day. Al-Fateh was last seen riding a motorcycle away from a Khartoum military base, and he never came back. Today, the couple’s 3-year-old son runs screaming after every passing motorcycle, convinced his father has finally come home.

    “He was the most precious thing in my life,” Abdallah said through sobs, hiding her face in her hands. “I would feel more at peace if I knew anything. It is better than this endless uncertainty, never knowing if he is alive or dead.” Abdallah has searched every hospital morgue across Khartoum, pleaded with army officials for information, and still keeps scrolling through old photos of her husband in uniform, refusing to abandon hope. “That is what my heart tells me — he will come home one day,” she said.

    Psychological experts warn that this ambiguous loss inflicts long-term, profound harm on surviving family members. “Families of missing persons experience additional layers of vulnerabilities due to hostilities, displacement and the unresolvable grief of ambiguous loss,” explained Nathalie Nyamukeba, a psychologist working with the ICRC. The organization has managed to resolve just over 1,000 missing person cases to date, but has declined to share how many of those cases ended with confirmation of life or death.

    Across Khartoum state, authorities believe many missing people now lie in unmarked graves scattered across the capital. When the army retook full control of Khartoum from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group last year, tens of thousands of hastily buried bodies were discovered across the city. During the height of combat, it was too dangerous to transport bodies to formal cemeteries, so residents buried their dead wherever they could: in neighborhood soccer fields, along road sides, beside abandoned gas stations, and even in front of family homes. During a recent reporting trip through Khartoum, Associated Press journalists encountered overflowing formal cemeteries and unmarked dirt mounds scattered across public spaces, many with no identifying information at all.

    For Sulafa Mustafa, the search for her 18-year-old son Suleiman Abdalsid has stretched across two years. The shy teen left home to visit a friend on the outskirts of Khartoum and never returned. Even when artillery shelling echoed through city neighborhoods, Mustafa walked door to door, showed Suleiman’s photo to strangers, visited every hospital and prison, and even rented a public address microphone to call out his name through the streets. Like Abdallah, she has not given up. “I haven’t lost faith in finding you,” she said.

    Locating and identifying missing people remains an enormous challenge amid the ongoing conflict. Most forensic DNA testing laboratories in Khartoum have been destroyed in fighting, and few specialist forensic personnel remain in the country. So far, Khartoum state authorities have relocated nearly 30,000 of the roughly 50,000 hastily buried bodies scattered across the capital to formal burial sites. Roughly 10% of these remains remain unidentified, according to Hisham Zienalabdien, director general of Khartoum’s forensic medicine department. His team is currently storing DNA samples from all unidentified bodies, in the hope that future technology and access will allow them to match remains to grieving relatives.

    Even for families who have recovered their loved ones’ remains, the trauma of the conflict leaves permanent scars. Abubakar Alswai waited more than a year to move his 73-year-old brother Mohamed’s remains from a hasty grave in front of their family home to a formal public cemetery. Mohamed was killed by RSF fighters, who waited three weeks before allowing neighbors to bury his bullet-ridden, decomposing body. Under majority-Islamic Sudanese tradition, funerals are held as soon as possible, ideally within 24 hours of death. As gravediggers exhumed Mohamed’s remains to move him, Alswai wiped tears from his cheeks. At least now, he said, his brother will receive the dignified burial he deserves, and his family can find a small measure of peace. “What happened has left a permanent mark on my heart,” he said.