分类： politics

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Taiwanese authorities have taken decisive action against an alleged espionage operation, detaining a television journalist alongside five current and former military officers on Saturday. The case centers on accusations that the journalist bribed military personnel to obtain sensitive defense information for individuals from mainland China.

The Qiaotou District Prosecutors Office confirmed that a district court ordered the detention of the individuals, identifying the journalist only by the surname Lin. CTi TV, the employer of reporter Lin Chen-you, acknowledged his detention while emphasizing their lack of case details and calling for a fair judicial process. The news organization concluded its statement with the phrase “God bless Taiwan.

This development occurs amid heightened tensions between Taiwan and China. Beijing consistently claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has intensified military activities around the island. Last month, China conducted large-scale military exercises following Washington’s announcement of significant arms sales to Taiwan.

According to prosecutors, Lin allegedly provided payments ranging from several thousand to tens of thousands of Taiwan dollars (equivalent to tens to hundreds of U.S. dollars) to active military personnel in exchange for sensitive information. The prosecution did not specify whether the Chinese recipients had direct ties to the Chinese government.

Authorities executed raids on Friday targeting the journalist’s premises and nine current and retired military personnel as part of an investigation into potential violations of national security laws, anti-corruption statutes, and the unauthorized disclosure of classified information. CTi TV confirmed that their corporate offices were not subject to these raids.

Lin’s professional background, as indicated on his Facebook profile, includes serving as a political reporter and anchor covering Taiwan’s legislative affairs.

The case represents an unusual intersection of journalism and national security concerns in Taiwan, where espionage investigations typically focus on government and military personnel rather than media representatives. CTi News has operated as an online news outlet since 2020, when Taiwan’s National Communications Commission declined to review its cable television license due to repeated violations and increasing complaints. Although a court later overturned this decision, the legal dispute continues through the appeals process.

New York City’s pension system is contemplating a controversial return to investing in Israeli government bonds, potentially reversing a recent divestment policy despite ongoing international condemnation of Israel’s military operations in Gaza. This financial deliberation pits fiduciary responsibilities against ethical considerations in a heated municipal debate.

The Financial Times reported that city officials are evaluating reinvestment options even as Mayor Zohran Mamdani maintains public support for divesting from Israel due to its conduct in Palestinian territories. The discussion highlights the complex intersection of municipal finance and international human rights concerns.

City Comptroller Mark Levine emphasized his fiduciary obligation to pension beneficiaries, noting to the FT that “Israel bonds have performed very well and they continue to be investment grade rated.” Israeli bonds function as direct loans to the state treasury, providing investors with consistent interest payments while funding government operations.

Opponents argue that such investments effectively subsidize Israel’s settlement expansion in occupied territories, displacement of Palestinian communities, and civilian casualties in Gaza. The potential policy reversal has intensified tensions within City Hall since Mamdani took office on January 1 and immediately revoked an executive order that had prohibited city agencies from boycotting or divesting from Israel.

The mayor, a longstanding critic of Israel’s military campaigns, previously stated that New York “should not have a fund that is invested in the violation of international law.” Comptroller Levine, while acknowledging personal ties to Israel through family and cultural connections, maintains that investment decisions should prioritize financial metrics over political considerations.

This reevaluation occurs despite warnings from credit rating agencies like Moody’s that categorize Israeli bonds as “increasingly risky investments.” The debate marks a significant departure from decades of routine pension investments in Israeli debt, a practice that ended in 2023 when the city allowed its $39 million bond holdings to mature without reinvestment.

Former Comptroller Brad Lander, who initiated the divestment, framed the 2023 decision as part of a broader strategy to avoid foreign sovereign debt rather than singling out Israel for special treatment. The current reconsideration revives fundamental questions about whether public pension funds should finance governments accused of violating international law.

In an unprecedented public statement, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has formally acknowledged that “several thousand” people lost their lives during recent nationwide protests, marking the first official recognition of the substantial death toll from the unrest. The comments, delivered on Saturday, represent a significant departure from previous government statements regarding the scale of the casualties.

Khamenei directly attributed responsibility for the violence to United States President Donald Trump, asserting that Washington bore culpability for the widespread casualties, destruction, and social turmoil experienced across Iran. “We consider the US president criminal for the casualties, damages and slander he inflicted on the Iranian nation,” Khamenei declared through state media channels, emphasizing that the latest anti-government demonstrations differed from previous incidents due to Trump’s personal involvement.

The protests initially erupted on December 28th, primarily driven by economic grievances, but rapidly evolved into the most severe civil unrest witnessed in Iran in recent years. Khamenei further accused Iran’s longstanding adversaries, the United States and Israel, of orchestrating the violence, claiming that “those linked to Israel and the US caused massive damage and killed several thousand” through arson attacks, destruction of public property, and deliberate efforts to incite chaos.

Despite Trump’s repeated warnings against using capital punishment against protesters—including threats of “very strong action” if executions proceeded—and his Friday social media claim that Iranian authorities had halted mass hangings, Tehran promptly rejected this assertion, stating there was “no plan to hang people.”

In remarks widely interpreted as a response to Washington, Khamenei asserted Iran would not be provoked into armed conflict while vowing that “we will not let domestic or international criminals go unpunished.”

Independent verification of casualties remains challenging due to extensive internet restrictions. The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency has documented at least 3,090 verified deaths, including 2,885 protesters, alongside more than 22,000 arrests since the unrest began. Internet monitoring group NetBlocks reported connectivity had slightly improved after exceeding 200 hours of near-total shutdown but remained at approximately two percent of normal levels.

Iranian state media has reported the arrest of thousands described as “rioters and terrorists,” including individuals allegedly connected to foreign-based opposition groups seeking to overthrow the Islamic Republic. Meanwhile, Israeli officials have publicly expressed support for exiled opposition figures, with Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu recently claiming Israel maintained operatives “on the ground” in Iran aimed at weakening Tehran’s capabilities, though denying direct involvement in attempts to topple the leadership.

In a significant diplomatic move, former U.S. President Donald Trump has extended formal invitations to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to participate in a newly established international framework for Gaza governance. The initiative, termed the “Board of Peace,” aims to oversee temporary administrative functions in the war-torn territory, which has maintained a precarious ceasefire since October.

The Egyptian government confirmed it is currently reviewing the invitation through its Foreign Ministry, which made the announcement during a press briefing on Saturday. This development follows the White House’s Friday revelation of several key appointments to the board’s leadership structure.

The proposed governance body will operate under Trump’s chairmanship and includes notable international figures: U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, and presidential son-in-law Jared Kushner, who previously orchestrated Middle East peace efforts during the Trump administration.

This multinational initiative represents the most comprehensive international effort to address Gaza’s political vacuum and reconstruction needs following recent hostilities. The inclusion of both Egyptian and Turkish leadership is particularly significant given their historically divergent approaches to Gaza and the broader Palestinian question, suggesting a potential convergence of regional interests under U.S.-led mediation.