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Today — 12 January 2025Main stream

Germany says Russian 'shadow' ship stuck in Baltic Sea

11 January 2025 at 22:52
Havariekommando Emergency tug Bremen Fighter keeps the Eventin in positionHavariekommando
Germany's maritime authorities released pictures of the Eventin tanker and their tugboats carrying out the rescue operation

German authorities have said an oil tanker stuck in German waters belongs to Russia's "shadow fleet" that Berlin says is used to avoid sanctions.

Germany's maritime authorities (CCME) said on Friday that the Panamanian-flagged ship, known as Eventin, had lost power and steering, meaning tugboats were deployed to secure the vessel.

German foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, blamed Moscow, saying in a statement that by "ruthlessly deploying a fleet of rusty tankers", Russian President Vladimir Putin was "circumventing" sanctions and threatening European security.

Russia, which previously declined to respond to accusations that it uses a shadow fleet, has not yet commented on this incident.

The US, UK and the EU have imposed sanctions on Russia's oil industry following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

In its first report of the tanker drifting in German waters, the CCME said the vessel was 274m (898ft) long and 48m (157ft) wide, carrying about 99,000 tonnes of oil.

German maritime authorities said the oil tanker was drifting at a low speed in the coastal waters of the Baltic Sea, north of the German island of Rügen.

A four-person team of specialists was lowered onto the vessel by helicopter on Friday night to establish towing connections, which were secured. Three tugboats took control of the "stricken vessel" that is "unable to manoeuvre".

Maritime authorities said on Friday night that no oil leaks had been detected.

In its latest update on Saturday afternoon, German maritime authorities said the towing convoy around the tanker was headed to Sassnitz, a town on the island of Rügen.

Earlier, authorities said the convoy of tugboats working to rescue Eventin remained north of Rügen and was moving eastwards "slowly", at about 2.5 km per hour (1.5mph).

CCME said they had taken safety measures given the rough seas, as the area where the vessel is located was experiencing 2.5m-high (8ft) waves and strengthening wind gusts.

Havariekommando Tanker Eventin in the water off RugenHavariekommando

Although the vessel sports the Panamanian flag, German authorities have blamed Russia for the incident.

"Russia is endangering our European security not only with its illegal war of aggression against Ukraine, but also with severed cables, displaced border buoys, disinformation campaigns, GPS jammers and, as we have seen, dilapidated oil tankers," the German foreign minister said in a statement.

Last December, the European Union said it was working on measures including sanctions to target "Russia's shadow fleet, which threatens security and the environment, while funding Russia's war budget".

The European bloc's remarks came after undersea cables in the Baltic Sea were damaged by a suspected vessel, which the EU believes was part of Russia's shadow fleet.

The move was a further step taken by Western countries to hit the Kremlin's oil industry in response to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Since tougher embargo measures were put in place to halt Russia from exporting oil, Moscow is believed to be using ships with unclear ownership to transport goods - namely oil - across the globe.

As reported by the Atlantic Council, a US-based think tank, Russia is "instrumentalising the dark fleet, using it especially as a primary conveyor of oil exports".

The shadow fleet, or dark fleet, is the name given to ageing ships that sail "without the industry's standard Western insurance, have opaque ownership, frequently change their names and flag registrations, and generally operate outside maritime regulations", according to the Atlantic Council.

The latest incident in the Baltic Sea comes as Washington and London joined efforts to directly sanction energy companies Gazprom Neft and Surgutneftegas.

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the move to weaken Russian oil companies would "drain Russia's war chest," adding that funds taken "from Putin's hands helps save Ukrainian lives".

But Gazprom Neft slammed the sanctions as "baseless" and "illegitimate", as reported by Russian state news agencies.

Also on Friday, the US Department of the Treasury said it had sanctioned 183 vessels that are "part of the shadow fleet as well as oil tankers owned by Russia-based fleet operators".

What we know about LA fires victims

11 January 2025 at 18:06
Getty Images Two people embrace as they inspect a family member's property that was destroyed by the Los Angeles wildfires.Getty Images
The devastating wildfires have claimed lives and destroyed homes in Los Angeles

At least 10 people have died as wildfires rage in Los Angeles - and there are fears that number will rise.

Officials say it may take several weeks to identify victims as traditional methods - such as fingerprinting and visual identification - may not be possible.

Here is what we know about those who are reported to have died after their family members spoke to US media.

Anthony Mitchell and his son Justin

Anthony Mitchell and his adult son Justin died at their home in Altadena as they tried to escape the wildfires, their family said.

Hajime White told the Washington Post she received a call from her 67-year-old father, in which he said "the fire's in the yard".

Mr Mitchell, a 67-year-old retired salesman and amputee, lived with his son Justin, who was in his early 20s and had cerebral palsy, the newspaper reported.

Another one of Mr Mitchell's sons, Jordan, lived with the pair but he was in hospital with an infection, the Washington Post reported.

Ms White told the newspaper she had received the news that Mr Mitchell and Justin had died, adding: "It's like a ton of bricks just fell on me."

Mr Mitchell was a father of four, grandfather of 11 and great-grandfather of 10, Ms White said.

Victor Shaw

Family of Victor Shaw Victor ShawFamily of Victor Shaw
Victor Shaw died trying to defend his home from the wildfire

Victor Shaw died trying to defend his home from the wildfire in Altadena, his family said.

The 66-year-old's body was found on the side of the road by his property, with a garden hose in his hand, according to TV network KTLA. The property had been in Mr Shaw's family for nearly 55 years, it reported.

Mr Shaw lived at the home with his younger sister Shari, who said she tried to get him to evacuate with her on Tuesday night as the fire moved closer.

She told KTLA that he refused because he wanted to try to fight the fire, adding that she had to flee because "the embers were so big and flying like a firestorm".

Ms Shaw told CBS News she would miss her big brother.

"I'll miss talking to him, joking about, traveling with him and I'll just miss him to death," she said. "I just hate that he had to go out like that."

Rodney Nickerson

Rodney Nickerson died at his home in Altadena, according to his daughter, who said her father believed the wildfire would "pass over".

Kimiko Nickerson told KTLA her father had bought the property in 1968 and had experienced previous fires over the decades.

She said Mr Nickerson "felt this was going to pass over" and that he would remain at his home.

Ms Nickerson told CBS News that the last comment her father made to her was: "I'll be here tomorrow." She confirmed to the broadcaster that his body had been found.

Fear for missing grandmother

The family of 83-year-old Erliene Kelley have voiced fears she is among the victims, telling the Los Angeles Times it had been more than 48 hours since they last heard from her.

According to the newspaper, Briana Navarro said her grandmother was "adamant" she did not want to evacuate because previous fires had never reached the house in Altadena.

Ms Navarro said her mother had seen a social media post by LA Fire Alerts which included Ms Kelley's address and stated a person was trapped inside the burning home.

Ms Navarro said her mother "just broke down" and "knew that my grandma most likely didn't make it out".

"And that kind of confirmed it for me as well," she added.

【网络民议】“星星回家计划”全国亲朋被骗缅甸概况收集(缅北+缅东)

12 January 2025 at 02:47
CDT 档案卡
标题:【网络民议】“星星回家计划”全国亲朋被骗缅甸概况收集(缅北+缅东)
作者:中国数字时代
发表日期:2025.1.11
来源:微博
主题归类:演员王星失联事件
CDS收藏:话语馆
版权说明:该作品版权归原作者所有。中国数字时代仅对原作进行存档,以对抗中国的网络审查。详细版权说明

CDT编辑注:演员王星日前于泰缅边界失联后引起广泛关注,据媒体报道,泰国警方已将他从缅甸边境的妙瓦底解救出来并送回中国。王星的遭遇被广泛报道后,许多电信诈骗的受害者家属在互联网上发起求助。微博用户 @稀薄20 发起“星星回家计划”文档,统计被困缅甸的受害者信息。文档9日向全网公布,截至11日晚已统计1500多名受害者信息。文档中登记的信息显示,受害人大部分是年轻男性,身份包括在校学生、退伍军人、农民、网络工程师、警务人员、网约车司机等,失踪时间从2019年到今年1月不等,其中有的案件中国警方已立案。CDT摘录文档统计的部分受骗经过:

“被朋友哄骗,说去背抗癌药,去两三天就回来了。”

“由于经济压力,轻信贷款机构飞往泰国可以办理贷款前往,后发现被骗逃跑中途右腿中枪。”

“说是在国外工作一个月最少三万,加上房贷还有欠的钱,顶不住诱惑去了…… 经过一周后一直跟他说让他回来,然后他去和老板谈就没消息了。”

“他又偷偷想办法告诉了我们园区坐标,说他刚进园区,拿着工作机准备报警,被旁边的人出卖,被管理戴上手铐用电棒、水管击打,铐在窗户边一个月,我们拿着这些他的求助信息来到户籍地派出所,同意了立案,弟弟报过一次平安后至今失联,请求国家帮帮忙。”

“被朋友骗去说可以免费学手艺有高薪工作,十月份有人登录他的qq索要15万,过了没几天当事人通过抖音联系家里人求救,十月报的警,公安不予立案!农村的,其家中只有老父和两个年幼的孩子,希望国家能出面统一解救。”

“在网上认识的人告诉他在西双版纳可以多挣点工资,27号从长春出发的到西双版纳,期间都在正常的联系,最后一次发位置是在云南省西双版纳景洪市,1号发微信说“我回不去了”…… 还是单亲家庭,奶奶已经快80岁了,每天在家哭的都起不来了,父亲不认得字是农民,恳求相关人士或者媒体高度关注我们这类人群,帮我们把孩子找回来,我们不是明星,我们只是普通老百姓。”

img

2023年9月的卫星地图。位于泰缅边境的KK园区清晰可见,且持续扩建中。图源:德国之声 / EUSI

@稀薄20:感谢大家对“星星回家文档”的关注与转发,和WPS的支持。自文档发布以来已填写超1000条,我们不忘初心,仍保留大家对文档的登记权限,请大家遵守法规,尽力扩散协助收集和积极举报,及时删除不当言论,也不要填写关于亲人过于详细的指向性信息。并且和关注妙瓦底一样关注缅北万海当阳地区的求救🙏🙏。#被困缅甸星星回家文档恢复# @红星新闻 @中国新闻周刊 @新京报 @新浪文化 @头条新闻 @封面新闻

【金山文档 | WPS云文档】 “星星回家计划“全国亲朋被骗缅甸概况收集(缅北+缅东)
http://t.cn/A6uHsC7n网页链接

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以下为CDT编辑摘自微博网友评论:

长情唉:我是填写了被困求助信息家属之一。我们一直都在等,我想除了我们还有很多很多的被骗被困受害者家属还在苦苦等待和寄托希望。也请大家在各大平台理智发言,相信国家相信党。也在这里提醒大家切勿相信境外高薪之类的骗局,境外旅游时请务必保证自己的安全得到保障的情况下再去。

韭五55:请审批一下,我需要填写我哥信息。小五。10.29落地泰国,10.31失联至今。

幸福de小孩纸:已经超过了1000条…最近一直默默关注星星事件的进展,万没想到还有这么多“星星”…个人力量微薄,希望能聚沙成塔,所有的失联星星都能安全回家

盼儿归666:这一次星星之火,可以燎原!跪求国家救救缅甸#万海,#当阳 深山老林里的孩子,每一个被骗至境外的同胞,都是无数家庭的牵挂。我们相信,只要凝聚希望,呼唤正义,国家一定能伸出援手,让他们平安归来,重燃无数家庭的幸福与团圆!

奇怪的它它它:吴京表示压力很大

星若HE:这已经不只是诈骗了,这是恐怖主义!!!

弱水三千只能一瓢:看到大多都是在云南,西双版纳被骗走的,还说人家泰国不安全呢

青春红豆泡脚:你好,我需要登记,家里弟弟被骗妙瓦底,家里老父亲癌症晚期,已时日无多,比较着急,谢谢你

Pacific Palisades Fire Could Test Getty Center’s Efforts to Protect Its Art Collection

12 January 2025 at 03:30
The museum, which describes itself as the “safest places for art during a fire,” is now in a mandatory evacuation zone. A spokeswoman said it had not sustained damage.

© Frédéric Soltan/Corbis, via Getty Images

The Getty Center touts its fire-resistant stone and protected steel as a safe place for its art collection.

'My father should die in prison', daughter of Dominique Pelicot tells BBC

11 January 2025 at 14:02
BBC Caroline Darian during the interviewBBC
Caroline Darian wants to raise awareness of sexual abuse

It was 20:25 on a Monday evening in November 2020 when Caroline Darian got the call that changed everything.

On the other end of the phone was her mother, Gisèle Pelicot.

"She announced to me that she discovered that morning that [my father] Dominique had been drugging her for about 10 years so that different men could rape her," Darian recalls in an exclusive interview with BBC Radio 4's Today programme's Emma Barnett.

"At that moment, I lost what was a normal life," says Darian, now 43.

"I remember I shouted, I cried, I even insulted him," she says. "It was like an earthquake. A tsunami."

Dominique Pelicot was sentenced to 20 years in jail at the end of a historic three-and-a-half month trial in December.

More than four years later, Darian says that her father "should die in prison".

Fifty men who Dominique Pelicot recruited online to come rape and sexually assault his unconscious wife Gisèle were also sent to jail.

He was caught by police after upskirting in a supermarket, leading investigators to look closer at him. On this seemingly innocuous retired grandfather's laptop and phones, they found thousands of videos and photos of his wife Gisèle, clearly unconscious, being raped by strangers.

On top of pushing issues of rape and gender violence into the spotlight, the trial also highlighted the little-known issue of chemical submission - drug-facilitated assault.

Caroline Darian has made it her life's struggle to fight chemical submission, which is thought to be under-reported as the majority of victims don't have any recollection of the assaults and may not even realise they were drugged.

Reuters Gisèle Pelicot leaves the courthouse after the verdict in the trial for Dominique Pelicot and 50 co-accused, in Avignon, France, December 19, 2024Reuters
Gisèle Pelicot's decision to go public shocked France

Darian wants abused women's voices to be heard

In the days that followed Gisèle's fateful phone call, Darian and her brothers, Florian and David, travelled to the south of France where their parents had been living to support their mother as she absorbed the news that - as Darian now puts it - her husband was "one of the worst sexual predators of the last 20 or 30 years".

Soon afterwards, Darian herself was called in by police - and her world shattered again.

She was shown two photos they found on her father's laptop. They showed an unconscious woman lying on a bed, wearing only a T-shirt and underwear.

At first, she couldn't tell the woman was her. "I lived a dissociation effect. I had difficulties recognising myself from the start," she says.

"Then the police officer said: 'Look, you have the same brown mark on your cheek... it's you.' I looked at those two photos differently then... I was laying on my left side like my mother, in all her pictures."

Darian says she is convinced her father abused and raped her too - something he has always denied, although he has offered conflicting explanations for the photos.

"I know that he drugged me, probably for sexual abuse. But I don't have any evidence," she says.

Unlike her mother's case, there is no proof of what Pelicot may have done to Darian.

"And that's the case for how many victims? They are not believed because there's no evidence. They're not listened to, not supported," she says.

Soon after her father's crimes came to light, Darian wrote a book.

I'll Never Call Him Dad Again explores her family's trauma.

It also delves deeper into the issue of chemical submission, in which the drugs typically used "come from the family's medicine cabinet".

"Painkillers, sedatives. It's medication," Darian says. As is the case for almost half of victims of chemical submission, she knew her abuser: the danger, she says, "is coming from the inside."

She says that in the midst of the trauma of finding out she had been raped more than 200 times by different people, her mother Gisèle found it difficult to accept that her husband may have also assaulted their daughter.

"For a mum it's difficult to integrate that all in one go," she says.

Yet when Gisèle decided to open up the trial to the public and the media so as to expose what had been done to her by her husband and dozens of men, mother and daughter were in agreement: "I knew we went through something... horrible, but that we had to go through it with dignity and strength."

Reuters Dominique Pelicot, convicted of drugging and raping his then-wife Gisele Pelicot, appears at the courthouse in Avignon, France, December 16, 2024 in this courtroom sketch before his convictionReuters
Dominique Pelicot is not a monster as he knew what he was doing, his daughter says

Now, Darian needs to understand how to live knowing she is the daughter of both the torturer and the victim - something she calls "a terrible burden".

She is now unable to think back to her childhood with the man she calls Dominique, only occasionally slipping back into the habit of referring to him as her father.

"When I look back I don't really remember the father that I thought he was. I look straight to the criminal, the sexual criminal he is," she says.

"But I have his DNA and the main reason why I am so engaged for invisible victims is also for me a way to put a real distance with this guy," she tells Emma Barnett. "I am totally different from Dominique."

Darian adds she doesn't know whether her father was a "monster," as some have called him. "He knew perfectly well what he did, and he's not sick," she says.

"He is a dangerous man. There is no way he can get out. No way."

It will be years before Dominique Pelicot, 72, is eligible for parole, so it is possible he will never see his family again.

Meanwhile, the Pelicots are rebuilding themselves. Gisèle, Darian said, was exhausted from the trial, but also "recovering... She is doing well".

As for Darian, the only question she is interested in now is to raise awareness of chemical submission - and to better educate children on sexual abuse.

She derives strength from her husband, her brothers and her 10-year-old - her "lovely son", she says with a smile, her voice full of affection.

The events that were unleashed on that November day made her who she is today, Darian says.

Now, this woman whose life was wrecked by a tsunami on a November night is trying to only look ahead.

Darian

'You can watch the full interview 'Pelicot trial - The daughter's story' - on Monday at 7pm on BBC 2 or on the iPlayer. If you have been affected by some of the issues raised in this film, details of help and support are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline'.

Ukraine says it captured two injured North Korean soldiers in Russia

11 January 2025 at 23:50
Getty Image shows Volodymyr Zelensky at a press conference during the European Council Meeting on December 19, 2024 in Brussels, Belgium.
Getty

Two wounded North Korean soldiers have been captured as prisoners of war by Ukrainian troops in Russia's Kursk Oblast, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday.

The two men are receiving "necessary medical assistance" and are in the custody of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) in Kyiv, according to Zelensky.

The president said he was "grateful" to Ukrainian paratroopers and soldiers from the Special Operation Forces for capturing the North Koreans.

He added that "this was not an easy task", claiming that Russian and North Korean soldiers usually execute wounded North Koreans "to erase any evidence of North Korea's involvement in the war against Ukraine".

In a statement posted on Telegram and X, Zelensky said the soldiers were "talking to SBU investigators" and he had instructed the Security Service of Ukraine to grant journalists access to them.

"The world needs to know the truth about what is happening," he added.

Zelensky also posted photographs of two wounded men but did not provide evidence that they were North Korean.

One image showed a Russian army ID card issued to a 26-year-old man from Russia's Tyva region bordering Mongolia.

Some reports have said Russia is hiding North Korean fighters by giving them fake IDs.

In December, South Korea's intelligence agency reported that a North Korean soldier believed to have been the first to be captured while supporting Russia's war in Ukraine had died after being taken alive by Ukrainian forces.

Separately, the White House said North Korean forces were experiencing mass casualties.

South Korea air crash recorders missing final four minutes

11 January 2025 at 20:48
Reuters Wreckage of the crashed Jeju Air jet. Four firefighters wearing dark clothing are looking up at it with their backs to the cameraReuters
The flight touched down about a third of the way along the runway without its landing gear down

Flight data and cockpit voice recorders from the South Korean passenger plane that crashed last month stopped recording four minutes before the disaster, the country's transport ministry has said.

The crash of the Jeju Air flight killed 179 people, making it the deadliest air accident on Korean soil. Two cabin crew members were the only survivors.

Investigators had hoped that data on the recorders would provide insights about the crucial moments before the tragedy.

The ministry said it would analyse what caused the "black boxes" to stop recording.

The recorders were originally examined in South Korea, the ministry said.

When the data was found to be missing, they were taken to the US and analysed by American safety regulators.

The plane was travelling from Bangkok on 29 December when it crash-landed at Muan International Airport and slid into a wall off the end of the runway, bursting into flames.

Sim Jai-dong, a former transport ministry accident investigator, told Reuters news agency that the loss of data from the crucial final minutes was surprising and suggested that all power, including back-up, could have been cut.

Many questions remain unanswered. Investigators have been looking at the role that a bird strike or weather conditions may have played.

They have also focused on why the Boeing 737-800 did not have its landing gear down when it hit the runway.

Trump wants to take Greenland: Four ways this saga could go

11 January 2025 at 16:39
Getty Images Donald Trump Jr's plane, emblazoned with 'Trump' across the front, at Greenland's Nuuk airport. Ice can be seen on the runway and a snowy landscape behind.Getty Images
Donald Trump's son Donald Jr recently visited Greenland

In recent weeks, US President-elect Donald Trump has shown renewed interest in taking control of Greenland, a largely autonomous territory of Denmark in the Arctic and the world's largest island.

He first indicated an intention to buy Greenland in 2019, during his first term as president, but this week he went further, refusing to rule out economic or military force to take control of it.

Danish and European officials have responded negatively, saying Greenland is not for sale and its territorial integrity must be preserved.

So how could this unusual situation play out, with two Nato allies at odds over a huge territory which is 80% covered with ice but has considerable untapped mineral wealth?

And how could the aspirations for independence among Greenland's population of 56,000, under Danish control for 300 years, affect the final outcome?

Here we look at four possible scenarios for Greenland's future.

Trump loses interest, nothing happens

There is some speculation that Trump's move is just bluster, a move to get Denmark to boost Greenland's security in the face of the threat of both Russia and China seeking influence in the region.

Last month, Denmark announced a new $1.5bn (£1.2bn) military package for the Arctic. It had been prepared before Trump's remarks but the announcement just hours after them was described by the Danish defence minister as an "irony of fate".

"What was important in what Trump said was that Denmark has to fulfil its obligations in the Arctic or it's got to let the US do it," says Elisabet Svane, chief political correspondent for Politiken newspaper.

Marc Jacobsen, associate professor at the Royal Danish Defence College, believes that this is a case of Trump "positioning himself before entering office" while Greenland is using the occasion to gain more international authority, as an important step towards independence.

So even if Trump were to lose further interest in Greenland now, which Professor Jacobsen thinks is the most likely scenario, he has certainly put the spotlight on the issue.

But independence for Greenland has been on the agenda for many years, and some say the debate could even go in the opposite direction.

"I noticed in the last few days the Greenland PM is calmer in his comments - ie. yes, we want independence but in the long run," says Svane.

Reuters Greenland flag flies over Igaliku settlementReuters

Greenland votes for independence, seeks closer ties with US

There is a general consensus in Greenland that independence will happen eventually, and also that if Greenland votes for it, Denmark will accept and ratify it.

However, it is also unlikely that Greenland would vote for independence unless its people are given guarantees that they can keep the subsidies they currently get from Denmark to pay for things like healthcare and the welfare system.

"The Greenland PM may be up in arms now, but in the event that he actually calls a referendum, he will need some kind of convincing narrative about how to save the Greenland economy and welfare system," Ulrik Gad, a senior researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies, told the BBC.

One possible next step is a free association - something like the US currently has with Pacific states the Marshall Islands, Micronesia and Palau.

Denmark has previously opposed this status both for Greenland and for the Faroe Islands, but according to Dr Gad, current Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen is not categorically against it.

"Danish understanding of the Greenland historical experience is way better than it was 20 years ago," he says, with Denmark accepting colonial responsibility.

The recent discussions "might persuade [Frederiksen] to say - better to keep Denmark in the Arctic, keep some kind of connection to Greenland, even if it's a looser one", he adds.

But even if Greenland is able to get rid of Denmark, it has become clear in recent years that it can't get rid of the US. The Americans never really left after taking control of the island in World War Two, and see it as vital for their security.

An agreement in 1951 affirmed Denmark's basic sovereignty of the island but, in effect, gave the US whatever it wanted.

Dr Gad said that Greenland officials had been in contact with the last two US administrations about Washington's role.

"They now know the US will never leave," he said.

Trump steps up economic pressure

There has been speculation that Trump's economic rhetoric is potentially the biggest threat to Denmark - with the US drastically increasing tariffs on Danish, or even EU, goods, forcing Denmark into concessions of some kind over Greenland.

Professor Jacobsen says Danish governments have been preparing for that, and not just because of the Arctic territory.

Trump has been threatening universal 10% tariffs on all US imports which could, among other things, significantly disrupt European growth, and some Danish and other European companies are now considering setting up manufacturing bases in the US.

Possible options for raising tariffs include by invoking the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), Benjamin Cote of international law firm Pillsbury told the website MarketWatch.

One of the main Danish industries potentially affected by this is pharmaceuticals. The US receives products such as hearing aids and most of its insulin from Denmark, as well as the diabetes drug Ozempic, made by the Danish company Novo Nordisk.

Analysts say the hike in prices that would result from these measures would not find favour with the US public.

A BBC map showing Greenland, North America and Europe

Trump invades Greenland

The "nuclear option" seems far-fetched, but with Trump failing to rule out military action it has to be considered.

Essentially, it wouldn't be hard for the US to take control, given that they already have bases and plenty of troops in Greenland.

"The US has de facto control already," says Professor Jacobsen, adding that Trump's remarks seemed ill-informed and he didn't understand the point of them.

That said, any use of military force by Washington would create an international incident.

"If they invade Greenland, they invade Nato," says Svane. "So that's where it stops. Article 5 would have to be triggered. And if a Nato country invades Nato then there's no Nato."

Dr Gad says Trump sounds like Chinese President Xi Jinping talking about Taiwan or Russia's Vladimir Putin talking about Ukraine.

"He's saying it's legitimate for us to take this piece of land," he says. "If we take him really seriously this is a bad omen for the whole of the Western alliance."

US and UK toughen sanctions on Russian oil industry

11 January 2025 at 09:48
Getty Images The silhouette of oil pumps on a beautiful sunset sky with sun setting in between them Siberia oil and gas productionGetty Images

The Biden administration has imposed some of its toughest sanctions yet on Russia, in a move designed to hit Moscow's energy revenue that is fuelling its war in Ukraine.

The measures target more than 200 entities and individuals ranging from traders and officials to insurance companies, as well as hundreds of oil tankers.

In a first since Moscow's all-out invasion of Ukraine, the UK will join the US in directly sanctioning energy companies Gazprom Neft and Surgutneftegas.

"Taking on Russian oil companies will drain Russia's war chest – and every ruble we take from Putin's hands helps save Ukrainian lives," said Foreign Secretary David Lammy.

Some of the measures announced by the US Treasury on Friday will be put into law, meaning the incoming Trump administration will need to involve Congress if it wants to lift them.

Washington is also moving to severely limit who can legally purchase Russian energy, and going after what it called Moscow's "shadow fleet" of vessels that ship oil around the world.

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the actions were "ratcheting up the sanctions risk associated with Russia's oil trade, including shipping and financial facilitation in support of Russia's oil exports."

President Joe Biden said Russian leader Vladimir Putin was in "tough shape", adding that "it's really important that he not have any breathing room to continue to do the god-awful things he continues to do."

Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelensky, thanked the US for what he called its "bipartisan support".

Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, a price cap on oil has been among the key measures designed to curb Russia's energy exports.

But as Olga Khakova from the Atlantic Council's Global Energy Centre explained, its effectiveness was "diluted" because it was also trying to avoid the volume of Russian oil in the market dropping.

This was due to concerns about the impact reduced supply would have on the global economy.

But experts said the oil market was now in a healthier position.

"US oil production (and exports) are at record levels and rising, and therefore the price impact of taking Russian oil off the market, the objective of today's sanctions, will be attenuated," said Daniel Fried, a distinguished fellow at the Atlantic Council.

"The US government has gone after the Russian oil sector in a big way, intending to deal what may turn out to be a body blow," Fried added.

John Herbst, a former US ambassador to Ukraine, said while the steps were "excellent", their implementation would be critical.

"Which means that it is the Trump administration that will determine if these measures do in fact put pressure on the Russian economy," he said.

In court with the '9/11 mastermind', two decades after his arrest

11 January 2025 at 06:23
Photo courtesy of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed’s legal team Khalid Sheikh Mohammed has a bushy orange beard and wears a red and white headscarf Photo courtesy of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed’s legal team
A recent photo of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed

Sitting on the front row of a war court on the US's Guantanamo Bay naval base in Cuba, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, one of the world's most notorious defendants, appeared to listen intently.

"Can you confirm that Mr Mohammed is pleading guilty to all charges and specifications without exceptions or substitutions?" the judge asked his lawyer as Mohammed watched on.

"Yes, we can, Your Honour," the lawyer responded.

Sitting in court, 59-year-old Mohammed, his beard dyed bright orange and wearing a headdress, tunic and trousers, bore little resemblance to a photo circulated shortly after his capture in 2003.

Mohammed, the accused mastermind of the 9/11 terror attacks on the US, had been due to plead guilty this week - more than 23 years after almost 3,000 people were killed in what the US government has described as "the most egregious criminal act on American soil in modern history".

But two days later, just as Mohammed had been set to formally enter his decision - the product of a controversial deal he struck with US government prosecutors - he instead watched silently as the judge said the proceedings had been paused under the orders of a federal appeals court.

It was expected to be a landmark week for a case that has faced a decade of delays. Now, with a new complication, it continues into an uncertain future.

"It's going to be the forever trial," the relative of one of the 9/11 victims said.

A plea on hold

Mohammed has previously said that he planned the "9/11 operation from A-to-Z" - conceiving the idea of training pilots to fly commercial planes into buildings and taking those plans to Osama bin Laden, leader of the militant Islamist group al-Qaeda.

But he has not yet been able to formally admit guilt to the court. This week's pause comes amid a dispute over a deal reached last year between US prosecutors and his legal team, under which Mohammed would not face a death penalty trial in exchange for his guilty plea.

The US government has for months tried to rescind the agreement, saying that allowing the deal to go ahead would cause "irreparable" harm to both it and the American public. Those in support of the deal see it as the only way forward in a case that has been complicated by the torture that Mohammed and others faced in US custody and questions over whether this taints the evidence.

After a last-minute appeal by prosecutors, a three-judge panel at the federal appeals court called for the delay to give them time to consider the arguments before they would make a decision.

But families of victims had already flown on a once-weekly flight to the base to watch the pleas in a viewing gallery, where thick glass separated them and members of the press from the rest of the sprawling high-security courtroom.

Getty Images a sign reads "camp justice - visitors report to work control - authorized vehicles only - smoke only in designated areas - no hat - no salute zone" is surrounded by reedsGetty Images

The attendees had won their place at this week's proceedings through a lottery system. They arranged child care and paid for kennels for their pets to attend - knowing that they could be called off at any minute. They learnt Thursday night while speaking to the media at a hotel on the base that the pleas would no longer go ahead.

Elizabeth Miller, whose father, New York City firefighter Douglas Miller, died in the attacks when she was six years old, said she was in favour of the deal going forward to "bring finality", but recognised that there were other families who felt it was too lenient.

"What's so frustrating is that every time this goes back and forth, each camp gets their hopes up and then gets their hopes crushed again," she said, as other relatives nodded in agreement.

"It's like a perpetual limbo… It's like constant whiplash."

Guantanamo Bay's final cases

This week's pause is just the latest in a series of delays, complications and controversies on the base, where the US military has now been holding detainees for 23 years.

The military prison on Guantanamo Bay was established during the "war on terror" that followed the 9/11 attacks that Mohammed is accused of orchestrating. The first detainees were brought there on 11 January 2002.

Then-President George Bush had issued a military order establishing military tribunals to try non-US citizens, saying they could be held without charge indefinitely and could not legally challenge their detention.

Dressed in bright orange jumpsuits, the 20 men were brought to a temporary detention camp called X-Ray, where the cells were exposed cages and the beds mats on the floor.

The camp, surrounded by barbed wire, is now long abandoned and overgrown - weeds are growing on wooden watchtowers and signs along the fence say "off limits" in red text.

While conditions have improved at Guantanamo, it continues to face criticism from the United Nations and rights groups over its treatment of detainees. And it continues to challenge US officials and advocates who hope to see it closed.

As president, Barack Obama pledged to close the prison during his terms, saying it was contrary to US values. These efforts were revived under the Biden administration.

Getty Images A yellow building has a sign that reads "office of military commissions"Getty Images
The cases of the remaining prisoners are overseen by military commissions, which operate under different rules than the traditional US criminal justice system

Unlike Mohammed, most people held there since its creation were never charged with any crimes.

The current detention facilities are off limits to journalists, with access only granted to those with security clearance.

A short drive away, there is an Irish pub, a McDonald's, a bowling alley and a museum, serving military personnel and contractors on the base - the majority of whom have never been inside the prison zone.

As legal teams, journalists and families gathered on the base for Mohammed's scheduled pleas, a secret early morning operation was conducted to fly a group of 11 Yemeni detainees off of the base for resettlement in Oman.

With that transfer, the base, which once held almost 800 detainees, now holds just 15 - the lowest number in its history.

Of those remaining, all but six have been charged or convicted of war crimes, with lawyers arguing their cases in complex legal battles at the base's high-security courtrooms.

As the court was dismissed on Friday, the judge said that Mohammed's pleas, if allowed to go ahead, would now fall into the next US administration.

Meta and Amazon axe diversity initiatives joining US corporate rollback

11 January 2025 at 09:06
Getty Images Mark Zuckerberg, chief executive officer of Meta Platforms Inc., arrives for the Meta Connect event in Menlo Park, California, US, on Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024Getty Images

Mark Zuckerberg's Meta is axing its diversity programmes, joining firms across corporate America that are rolling back initiatives criticised by conservatives, citing legal and political risks.

The move comes just days after the tech giant, owner of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, said it was ending a fact-checking programme criticised by President-elect Donald Trump and Republicans and elevated conservatives to key leadership positions.

In a memo to staff about the decision, which affects, hiring, supplier and training efforts, the company cited a "shifting legal and policy landscape".

Walmart and McDonalds are among the other companies to have made similar decisions regarding diversity efforts since Donald Trump won re-election.

In its memo to staff, which was first reported by Axios and confirmed by the BBC, Meta cited the Supreme Court ruling, while also noting that the term "DEI" had become "charged".

It said it would continue to look for diverse staff, but end its current approach, which looks to make selections from a pool of diverse candidates.

Major banks and investment groups, including Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase and BlackRock, have also pulled out of groups focused on risks from climate change.

The moves have accelerated a retreat that started two years ago, as Republicans ramped up attacks on firms such as BlackRock and Disney, accusing them of "woke" progressive activism and threatening political punishment.

Big brands such as Bud Light and Target also faced backlash and boycotts related to their efforts to appeal to LGBTQ customers.

Many of the diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, known as DEI, were put in place after the Black Lives Matter protests that erupted in 2020 after George Floyd's murder at the hands of police.

Recent court decisions have bolstered critics of the programmes, who said that they were discriminatory.

The Supreme Court in 2023 struck down the right for private universities to consider race in admissions decisions.

Another court of appeals ruling invalidated a Nasdaq policy that would have required companies listed on that stock exchange to have at least one woman, racial minority or LGBTQ person on their board or explain why not.

It said it was also ending its efforts to work with suppliers who are "diverse" but will instead focus on small and medium-sized companies.

It also plans to stop offering "equity and inclusion" training and instead offer programmes that "mitigate bias for all, no matter your background".

Meta declined to comment on the memo, news of which was immediately met with both criticism and celebration.

"I'm sitting back and enjoying every second of this," said conservative activist Robby Starbuck, who has taken credit for successfully campaigning against the policies at companies such as Ford, John Deere and Harley-Davidson.

When Carter met Kim - and stopped a nuclear war

11 January 2025 at 11:17
AP Former President Jimmy Carter and,. behind him, former First Lady Rosalynn Carter with Kim Il Sung aboard the North Korean leader's yacht during their 1994 visit to Pyongyang. (SINGLE USE ONLY. DO NOT REUSE)AP
Jimmy Carter and Kim Il-sung aboard the North Korean ruling family yacht

Three decades ago, the world was on the brink of a nuclear showdown - until Jimmy Carter showed up in North Korea.

In June 1994, the former US president arrived for talks in Pyongyang with then leader Kim Il-sung. It was unprecedented, marking the first time a former or sitting US president had visited.

But it was also an extraordinary act of personal intervention, one which many believe narrowly averted a war between the US and North Korea that could have cost millions of lives. And it led to a period of greater engagement between Pyongyang and the West.

All this may not have happened if not for a set of diplomatic chess moves by Carter, who died aged 100 on 29 December.

"Kim Il-sung and Bill Clinton were stumbling into a conflict, and Carter leapt into the breach, successfully finding a path for negotiated resolution of the standoff," North Korean expert John Delury, of Yonsei University, told the BBC.

Kyodo North Korea's Yongbyon nuclear plant is seen before a cooling tower (R) is demolished, in this photo taken June 27, 2008 and released by Kyodo.Kyodo
Tensions soared after US suspicions rose over the nuclear plant at Yongbyon, seen here in 2008

In early 1994, tensions were running high between Washington and Pyongyang, as officials tried to negotiate an end to North Korea's nuclear programme.

US intelligence agencies suspected that despite ongoing talks, North Korea may have secretly developed nuclear weapons.

Then, in a startling announcement, North Korea said it had begun withdrawing thousands of fuel rods from its Yongbyon nuclear reactor for reprocessing. This violated an earlier agreement with the US under which such a move required the presence of inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) nuclear watchdog.

North Korea also announced it would withdraw from the IAEA.

American suspicion spiked as Washington believed Pyongyang was preparing a weapon, and US officials broke off negotiations. Washington began preparing several retaliatory measures, including initiating UN sanctions and reinforcing troops in South Korea.

In subsequent interviews, US officials revealed they also contemplated dropping a bomb or shooting a missile at Yongbyon - a move which they knew would have likely resulted in war on the Korean peninsula and the destruction of the South's capital, Seoul.

It was in this febrile atmosphere that Carter made his move.

For years, he had been quietly wooed by Kim Il-sung, who had sent him personal entreaties to visit Pyongyang. In June 1994, upon hearing Washington's military plans, and following discussions with his contacts in the US government and China - North Korea's main ally - Carter decided to finally accept Kim's invitation.

"I think we were on the verge of war," he told the US public broadcaster PBS years later. "It might very well have been a second Korean War, within which a million people or so could have been killed, and a continuation of the production of nuclear fissile material… if we hadn't had a war."

Carter's visit was marked by skillful diplomatic footwork - and brinkmanship.

First, Carter had to test Kim's sincerity. He made a series of requests, all of which were agreed to, except the last: Carter wanted to travel to Pyongyang from Seoul across the demilitarised zone (DMZ), a strip of land that acts as a buffer between the two Koreas.

"Their immediate response was that no-one had ever done this for the last 43 years, that even the United Nations secretary-general had to go to Pyongyang through Beijing. And I said, 'Well, I'm not going, then'," he said.

A week later, Kim caved.

The next step for Carter was harder - convincing his own government to let him go. Robert Gallucci, the chief US negotiator with North Korea at the time, later said there was "discomfort in almost all quarters" about the US essentially "subcontracting its foreign policy" to a former president.

Carter first sought permission from the State Department, who blanked him. Unfazed, he decided to simply inform then-US president Bill Clinton that he was going, no matter what.

He had an ally in vice-president Al Gore, who intercepted Carter's communication to Clinton. "[Al Gore] called me on the phone and told me if I would change the wording from "I've decided to go" to "I'm strongly inclined to go" that he would try to get permission directly from Clinton… he called me back the next morning and said that I had permission to go."

The trip was on.

AFP Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn wave to journalists, surrounded by a crowd. He wears a dark suit, and she wears blue skirt, jacket and scarfAFP
Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, spent four days in North Korea in June 1994

'Very serious doubts'

On 15 June 1994, Carter crossed over to North Korea, accompanied by his wife Rosalyn, a small group of aides and a TV crew.

Meeting Kim was a moral dilemma for Carter.

"I had despised Kim Il-sung for 50 years. I was in a submarine in the Pacific during the Korean War, and many of my fellow servicemen were killed in that war, which I thought was precipitated unnecessarily by him," he told PBS.

"And so I had very serious doubts about him. When I arrived, though, he treated me with great deference. He was obviously very grateful that I had come."

Over several days, the Carters had meetings with Kim, were taken on a sightseeing tour of Pyongyang and went on a cruise on a luxury yacht owned by Kim's son, Kim Jong-il.

Carter discovered his hunch was right: North Korea not only feared a US military strike on Yongbyon, but was also ready to mobilise.

"I asked [Kim's advisers] specifically if they had been making plans to go to war. And they responded very specifically, 'Yes, we were'," he said.

"North Korea couldn't accept the condemnation of their country and the embarrassment of their leader and that they would respond.

"And I think this small and self-sacrificial country and the deep religious commitments that you had, in effect, to their revered leader, their Great Leader as they called him, meant that they were willing to make any sacrifice of massive deaths in North Korea in order to preserve their integrity and their honour, which would have been a horrible debacle in my opinion."

Carter presented a list of demands from Washington as well as his own suggestions. They included resuming negotiations with the US, starting direct peace talks with South Korea, a mutual withdrawal of military forces, and helping the US find remains of US soldiers buried in North Korean territory.

"He agreed to all of them. And so, I found him to be very accommodating," Carter said. "So far as I know then and now, he was completely truthful with me."

Crucially, Carter came up with a deal where North Korea would stop its nuclear activity, allow IAEA inspectors back into its reactors, and eventually dismantle Yongbyon's facilities. In return, the US and its allies would build light-water reactors in North Korea, which could generate nuclear energy but not produce material for weapons.

Getty Images US President Bill Clinton smiles as he listens to speakers with former US President Jimmy Carter in front of a yellow curtain during a rally in 2000 in support of permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) with China. Getty Images
Carter and Clinton seen at a happier moment in 2000

While enthusiastically embraced by Pyongyang, the deal was met with reluctance from US officials when Carter suggested it in a phone call. He then told them he was going on CNN to announce details of the deal - leaving the Clinton administration little choice but to agree.

Carter would later justify forcing his own government's hand by saying he had to "consummate a resolution of what I considered to be a very serious crisis". But it did not go down well back home - officials were unhappy at Carter's "freelancing" and attempt to "box in" Clinton, according to Mr Gallucci.

Near the end of the trip, they told him to convey a statement to the North Koreans, reiterating Clinton's public position that the US was continuing to press for UN sanctions. Carter disagreed, according to reports at that time.

Hours later, he got on the boat with Kim, and promptly went off-script. As TV cameras rolled, he told Kim the US had stopped work on drafting UN sanctions - directly contradicting Clinton.

An annoyed White House swiftly disowned Carter. Some openly expressed frustration, painting a picture of a former president going rogue. "Carter is hearing what he wants to hear… he is creating his own reality," a senior official complained at the time to The Washington Post.

Many in Washington also criticised him for the deal itself, saying the North Koreans had used him.

But Carter's savvy use of the news media to pressure the Clinton administration worked. By broadcasting his negotiations almost instantaneously, he gave the US government little time to react, and immediately after his trip "it was possible to see an almost hour-by-hour evolution in US policy towards North Korea" where they ratcheted down their tone, wrote CNN reporter Mike Chinoy who covered Carter's trip.

Though Carter later claimed he had misspoken on the sanctions issue, he also responded with typical stubbornness to the blowback.

"When I got back to Seoul, I was amazed and distressed at the negative reaction that I had from the White House. They urged me not to come to Washington to give a briefing, urged me to go directly to… my home," he said.

But he went against their wishes.

"I decided that what I had to offer was too important to ignore."

A final dramatic coda to the episode happened a month later.

On 9 July 1994, on the same day as US and North Korean officials sat down in Geneva to talk, state media flashed a stunning announcement: Kim Il-sung had died of a heart attack.

Carter's deal was immediately plunged into uncertainty. But negotiators ploughed through, and weeks later hammered out a formal plan known as the Agreed Framework.

Though the agreement broke down in 2003, it was notable for freezing Pyongyang's nuclear programme for nearly a decade.

'Carter had guts'

Robert Carlin, a former CIA and US state department official who led delegations in negotiations with North Korea, noted that Carter's real achievement was in getting the US government to co-operate.

"Carter was, more or less, pushing on an open door in North Korea. It was Washington that was the bigger challenge… if anything, Carter's intervention helped stop the freight train of US decision-making that was hurtling toward a cliff," he told the BBC.

Carter's visit was also significant for opening a path for rapprochement, which led to several trips later, including one in 2009 when he travelled with Clinton to bring home captured US journalists.

He is also credited with paving the way for Donald Trump's summit with Kim Jong Un – Kim Il-sung's grandson - in 2018, as "Carter made it imaginable" that a sitting US president could meet with a North Korean leader, Dr Delury said.

That summit failed, and of course, in the long run Carter's trip did not succeed in removing the spectre of nuclear war, which has only grown - these days North Korea has missiles regarded as capable of hitting the US mainland.

But Carter was lauded for his political gamble. It was in sharp contrast to his time in office, when he was criticised for being too passive on foreign policy, particularly with his handling of the Iran hostage crisis.

His North Korea trip "was a remarkable example of constructive diplomatic intervention by a former leader," Dr Delury said.

His legacy is not without controversy, given the criticism that he took matters in his own hands. His detractors believe he played a risky and complicated game by, as CNN's Mike Chinoy put it, "seeking to circumvent what he viewed as a mistaken and dangerous US policy by pulling the elements of a nuclear deal together himself".

But others believe Carter was the right man for the job at the time.

He had "a very strong will power", but was also "a man of peace inside and out," said Han S Park, one of several people who helped Carter broker the 1994 trip.

Though his stubbornness also meant that he "did not get along with a lot of people", ultimately this combination of attributes meant he was the best person "to prevent another occurrence of a Korean War", Prof Park said.

More than anything, Carter was convinced he was doing the right thing.

"He didn't let US government clucking and handwringing stop him," says Robert Carlin. "Carter had guts."

US top court leans towards TikTok ban over security concerns

11 January 2025 at 07:32
Reuters A phone displaying the logo of the popular social media platform TikTok is set in front of the American flagReuters
U.S. flag and TikTok logo are seen in this illustration taken January 8, 2025.

TikTok will appear before the US Supreme Court on Friday in a last-ditch effort to overturn a ban, in a case testing the limits of national security and free speech.

The popular social media platform is challenging a law passed last year ordering the firm to be split from its Chinese owner or be blocked from the US by 19 January.

The US government is arguing that without a sale, TikTok could be used by China as a tool for spying and political manipulation.

But TikTok rejects that claim, arguing it has been unfairly targeted and the measure violates the free speech of its some 170 million American users.

Lower courts have sided with the government, but the case was complicated last month when President-elect Donald Trump weighed in on the dispute and asked for the enforcement of the law to be paused to grant him time to work out a deal.

Analysts have said it was not clear what the Supreme Court will decide, but that reversing the prior ruling - even with a future president's blessing - would be unusual.

"When you have a real government interest pitted against a real constitutional value, it ends up being a very close case," said Cardozo School of Law professor Saurabh Vishnubhakat.

"But in such close cases, the government often gets the benefit of the doubt."

A decision by Supreme Court could be made within days.

Congress passed the law against TikTok last year with support from both the Democratic and Republican parties. The moment marked the culmination of years of concern about the wildly popular platform, which is known for its viral videos and traction among young people.

The legislation does not forbid use of the app, but would require tech giants such as Apple and Google to stop offering it and inhibit updates, which analysts suggest would kill it over time.

TikTok is already banned from government devices in many countries, including in the UK. It faces more complete bans in some countries, including India.

The US argues that TikTok is a "grave" threat because the Chinese government could coerce its owner, ByteDance, to turn over user data or manipulate what it shows users to serve Chinese interests.

Last December, a three-judge appeals court decision upheld the law, noting China's record of acting through private companies and saying the measure was justified as "part of a broader effort to counter a well-substantiated national security threat posed" by the country.

TikTok has repeatedly denied any potential influence by the Chinese Communist Party and has said the law violates the First Amendment free speech rights of its users.

It has asked the Supreme Court to strike down the law as unconstitutional, or order its enforcement to be halted to enable a review of the legislation, which it said was based on "inaccurate, flawed and hypothetical information".

Trump is set to take office the day after the law would come into force.

He had called for banning the app in the US during his first term, but changed his tune on the campaign trail.

The brief that Trump's lawyers filed late last month did not take a position on legal dispute, but said the case presented "unprecedented, novel, and difficult tension between free-speech rights on one side, and foreign policy and national-security concerns on the other".

Noting his election win, it said Trump "opposes banning TikTok" and "seeks the ability to resolve the issues at hand through political means once he takes office".

The filing came less than two weeks after Trump met TikTok's boss at Mar-a-Lago.

One of the president-elect's major donors, Jeff Yass of Susequehanna International Group, is a big stakeholder in the company.

However, Trump's nominee to serve as secretary of state, Florida Senator Marco Rubio, is in favour of banning the platform.

Investors who have expressed interest in buying the TikTok include Trump's former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and former LA Dodgers owner Frank McCourt.

Attorney Peter Choharis, who is part of a group that filed its own brief supporting the US government's case, said it was hard to predict what the court - which has a conservative majority - would do, noting that several recent court decisions have overturned longstanding precedent.

But he said even if Trump was granted the opportunity to try to work out a deal, he expected a ban eventually.

"I don't see any president, including future President Trump, being able to resolve this in a way that's satisfactory for US national security because I don't think ByteDance will agree to it," he said.

The prospect of losing TikTok in the US has prompted outcry from many users, some of whom filed their own legal action last year.

In their filing they said the decision that TikTok could be shuttered "because ideas on that platform might persuade Americans of one thing or another - even of something potentially harmful to our democracy - is utterly antithetical to the First Amendment".

Other groups weighing in on the dispute include the American Civil Liberties Union and Freedom of the Press Foundation, which argued that the US had failed to present "credible evidence of ongoing or imminent harm" caused by the social media app.

Mr Choharis said the government had a right to take measures to defend itself, arguing that the fight was not "about speech" or "content" but about the Chinese government's role.

"It's about control and how the Chinese Communist Party specifically, and the Chinese government more generally, pursue strategic aims using many internet firms and especially social media companies - specifically including TikTok," he said.

Could a mango-flavoured pill end intestinal worms?

11 January 2025 at 08:58
BBC An African girl holds her stomach, symbolising pain or hungerBBC
Parasitic infections can have gastrointestinal symptoms and often affect children

A new tablet being developed to cure intestinal worms has shown promising results in trials and could help eradicate the parasitic infection, which affects about 1.5 billion people globally, researchers say.

The mango-flavoured pill is a combination of two existing anti-parasitic drugs that, used together, appear more effective in getting rid of worms.

These worms are caught through contact with food or water that has been infected by soil contaminated with worm eggs and infections cause severe gastrointestinal symptoms, malnutrition and anaemia.

Researchers say the pill could help overcome any future drug resistance problems and better manage the disease on a large scale.

The parasites, also known as soil-transmitted helminths (STHs), include whipworm and hookworm and are endemic in many developing countries where hygiene levels are poor.

Many of those affected are children and there is no preventative treatment other than better sanitation.

According a study, called "ALIVE", published in the Lancet, this new pill could help countries most affected reach goals set by the World Health Organization to eliminate the diseases.

It would be taken as a fixed-dose of of either one single pill or three tablets over consecutive days.

Researchers from eight European and African institutions say it would be a simple way to cure large numbers of people in mass treatment programmes.

"It is easy to administer, as it is one single pill," says project leader Prof Jose Muñoz.

"Also, we hope that combining two drugs with different mechanisms of action will reduce the risk of the parasites becoming drug-resistant," Prof Muñoz says.

Getty Images A computer generated image of whipworms (Trichuris trichiura) in a human intestine 
Getty Images
Intestinal parasite whipworm appears to be becoming resistant to current treatments

Once a person is infected, the parasites root themselves in people's digestive tracts.

While the drug albendazole is good at treating some species of STH, it appears to be becoming less effective in tackling some others.

During a clinical trial involving 1,001 children aged between 5-18 in Ethiopia, Kenya and Mozambique, it was found to be more effective on more types of infection when combined with the drug ivermectin.

However, researchers said the results were not conclusive on how well it treated threadworm.

Prof. Hany Elsheikha, an expert in parasitology at the University of Nottingham said the pill could be a "significant improvement over other treatments" and could be used against multiple parasites.

"There are some challenges with existing medications...so this could be a major, major addition."

However, he said that while the study was "promising", it had "some gaps".

"We don't know if the results would be the same for adults, mature people, younger kids, people in other parts of the world."

The results of the trial have been submitted to regulators in Europe and Africa, with decisions expected in early 2025.

Participants are now being recruited to take part in a further trial on 20,000 people in Kenya and Ghana.

Dr Stella Kepha, a researcher at Kenya Medical Research Institute who worked on the study said the pill had " great potential for improving the health of affected communities" but that there was still "work to do" to widely roll out the treatment.

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11 January 2025 at 08:17

From today's featured article

Burial chamber of Kha and Merit as discovered in 1906
Burial chamber of Kha and Merit as discovered in 1906

The tomb of Kha and Merit is the funerary chapel and burial place of the ancient Egyptian foreman Kha and his wife Merit, in the northern cemetery of the workmen's village of Deir el-Medina. Kha supervised the workforce who constructed royal tombs during the reigns of the pharaohs Amenhotep II, Thutmose IV and Amenhotep III (r. 1425 – 1353 BC) in the mid–Eighteenth Dynasty of the early New Kingdom of Egypt. He died in his 60s, while Merit died before him in her 20s or 30s. The couple's pyramid-shaped chapel has been known since at least 1818. The tomb was cut into the base of the cliffs. This position allowed the entrance to be quickly buried by debris deposited by landslides and later tomb construction, hiding its location from ancient robbers. Almost all of the contents of the tomb were awarded to the excavators and were shipped to Italy soon after the discovery. They have been displayed in the Museo Egizio in Turin since their arrival, and an entire gallery is devoted to them. (Full article...)

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The Tocopilla railway was a mountain railway built to serve the sodium nitrate mines in the Toco area of the Antofagasta Region in Chile. With a gauge of 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm), it ran from the port of Tocopilla on the Pacific coast up to a height of 4,902 feet (1,494 metres), with gradients up to 1 in 24. The railway was built by a joint-stock company founded in London and was designed by William Stirling of Lima, with a detailed description of the initial operation of the railway published by his brother Robert in 1900.The line was electrified in the mid-1920s and expanded in 1930 with the addition of lines serving new areas of mining. It continued operating into the 21st century, but was forced to close in 2015 when flash flooding caused numerous washouts on the electrified section of the railroad. With the declining prospects for nitrate, it was not economical for the line to be repaired. This photograph taken in 2013 shows a boxcab on the Tocopilla railway, leading a train down towards the coast.

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王昊宸|刑辩2025:如何面对全行业的疲惫感

12 January 2025 at 02:00
CDT 档案卡
标题:刑辩2025:如何面对全行业的疲惫感
作者:王昊宸
发表日期:2025.1.10
来源:微信公众号“王昊宸”
主题归类:辩护律师
CDS收藏:公民馆
版权说明:该作品版权归原作者所有。中国数字时代仅对原作进行存档,以对抗中国的网络审查。详细版权说明

大致算了一下,从2023年底开始,我在几个公号上共写了43篇文章。其中,41篇是在2024年上半年之前写的。而自2024年的六月以来,半年多的时间内我却只写了两篇,更新频率下降了20倍不止。

是什么造成了我昙花一现、如今一去不复返的创作欲?反思之后,我想自己表达欲的消减,与同步下降的关注欲密切相关。

不知道有多少同行还记得,就在一两年前,我们对于身边发生的许多负面现象,普遍还处于一个整体“热忱”的状态。如果出现什么不公,大家的心态多数都是“太荒唐了,如果放任这种事情发生,这还得了?”。那时候,人人都觉得这些事情和自己有关,人人都认为有义务发声。如今呢?上周六回到北京见了一位刑辩业界著名的青年才俊,才华横溢、业务精湛的他对我说:感觉自己最近半年陷入了一种“虚无”,朋友圈一天都不看一次,也没有接案件的欲望。据我所知,有类似感受的刑辩同行,并不在少数。

再拿最近的热点案件来说。我们设想一下,虽然曾武律师因关闭屏蔽器被决定拘留事件已经在律师界广为人知,但假如事件发生在2023年,是不是可能会引发影响更广泛的轩然大波?又比如近期发生的内蒙法警对律师喷辣椒水事件若是出现在前年,是否法院至少会出个情况公告,或者有个司法人员出来承担哪怕仅仅是道歉的责任?现在,却好像连个响都没听到。

近半年来,好多本应引发关注的事情,却被一股脑儿地淹没在了“审丑”信息的汪洋大海当中。很惭愧,包括我本人在内,现在看到类似消息时,原本旺盛的表达欲往往化作脑中的一句“已阅”,然后手指继续上滑屏幕。人人都好像开始有了一点点变化,心态微妙地变得疲惫或麻木。

有人说,近些年汉语中经历了一场大大的“通货膨胀”。比如在15年前,在聊天的时候如果要表示礼貌,原本回一句“呵呵”就够了。现在社交语言中的“呵呵”简直是句骂人的话。如果朋友跟你分享一个有趣的观点,回个“哈哈”都不够,必须打满“哈哈哈哈哈哈”六个字,才能表示尊重。原来在表示赞叹时,说个“赞”就足矣;现在连“牛逼”都稍显敷衍,必须要说“YYDS”,才能让人感受到你是诚心赞美。

与此类似,刑辩界的公共关注,也在经历这样的通货膨胀。被驱逐出法庭,被拘留,被喷辣椒水,你所能想到的各种,包括我当时写的这些年,律师们遭遇的恶意这篇文章当中提到的,都已经发生了。哪怕是再出现一模一样的极端荒唐场景,比如哪个律师再被下个拘留通知、再被喷一脸芥末水,我想很多人的反应也会是:嗯,这集的剧情我早已经看过了。

刚才说的是关注内容的通胀,而从关注的形式上来看,不知道大家有没有发现,从2024年下半年以来,文字性的内容也突然一下子就变得好像没多少人愿意点开了,刑辩圈好像也突然跨入了短视频的时代。可能对于好多律师来说,倒不是说自己有多想去制作短视频,只不过社会关注如前所述一下子变得太卷,不搞成“融媒体”,都跟不上时代了。可惜,关注的内容本身在通货膨胀,关注形式也在不断升级,人脑却在短时间无法进化到在有限时间内汲取更多信息量。因此哪怕是短视频,在内容令人疲劳的情况下,也会很快迎来下一波的关注疲软。君不见,前两年,在任检察官在法院门口喊冤还有人感到惊讶,而去年至少有四五个穿个公检法制服喊冤的短视频创作者,大家却已经见怪不怪了,都只是在掰着手指头数:“嗐,又多了一个。”

可能不同个体的观测感受会有所区别,但以上也确实是我与身边不少朋友的普遍感受。情况大概就是这么个情况,疲惫也是真的疲惫,但真的就没有任何的事情,让人能够打起精神来了吗?倒也未必。行业再疲倦,却也还总是看到有一些类似于咖啡因的存在。

比如,像我这种三分钟热度的虽然不写了,但还是有人十年如一日地选择做个路见不平一声吼的侠客:高产高质如金宏伟律师,受众广泛如彭瑞萍律师,急公好义如李宇琛律师,定海神针如斯伟江律师,以及其他许多笔耕不辍、持续勇敢的同行,无论行业整体进入了何种消极或积极的状态,他们都是“我自岿然不动”,继续书写和记录着。说实话,对于朋友圈的许多文章,我现在也因为前述的“疲惫”经常没有点开细看,但哪怕只是轻轻翻过页面看到标题和金宏伟律师等这些作者的名字,我就有一种感觉:这个行业,只要还有他们在,“江湖”就还是那么个“江湖”,刑辩界也总还回荡有一股侠气和正气。

又比如,在许多个案中,也仍有前辈和伙伴在不计代价不计回报地付出,由此反过来向全行业输出难能可贵的精神力量。像周泽、王飞、王兴等老师在涪陵、绵阳等案件中的感人坚守,金琳、张召怀、胡长朋、李进、李显峰、杜明怀等好友在援救法律职业共同体和冤案家属时流露的真情,让我时刻都在向他们学习如何在刑辩理想主义的道路上知行合一。最近特别值得庆贺的是,在这样一个大家普遍感到迷惘的时期,金琳、张召怀、杜明怀等志同道合的优秀青年律师,共同新成立了一家理念风格明确的理想主义律所——北京西东,也令包括我在内的许多青年刑辩律师精神都为之一振,这必定是新一代刑辩律师搭建的一个了不起的舞台。

刚才说的还只是最为熟悉的师友们,在此之外,哪怕是在2024这个疲惫的年份,我也仍然在河北、浙江、上海、河南、江苏等一个个战场上看到了许多不那么熟悉但非常值得尊敬的身影,各自做着各不相同却也各有意义的事情。比起前面提到的难以言说的疲惫感,来自于他们的力量,才是促使我在2025已经到来的第十天,还要写下这篇文章的动因。也是因此,我对于这个“敢问路在何方”的2025,才有了一些“路在脚下”的规划,有了一些算是自己给自己的忠告:

首先,人的身体一旦疲惫,就需要静下来、慢下来,精神也是同理。所以我也在前几天做了一个决定,决定在我认为最需要“给自己一个交代”的几个案件获得妥善解决前,2025年不再接新案。有人把我这样的表态视为是一种对于办案机关别有意味的“宣誓”,其实还真不是。这更多的是一种自我调整。我始终认为,一个人能够同时承担的重要的事务是有限的,所以还是要优先把这些已有的最重要的事情先作妥当处理,先通过处理完手头未结的旧事,让自己把心彻底安下来。

其次,向持续不懈的写作者们学习。即便到了所谓的短视频影像时代,依然需要有人用人类已经形成了上万年的文字来记录历史、记录生活。人类对于文字的检索和阅读效率是远高于音视频的。所以多年后,可能不会有人一下子记得今天这些乱花渐欲迷人眼的影像,但是当我们想起2024、2025或者任何一个年份的关键词,输入文字搜索,可能还是能够一瞬间就获取到我们想要回忆起的当初的某个片段、某个情绪。尤其是,比起实时的、功能性的文字,特别期待能够与朋友们一起,留下一些更加成建制、成体系的思考。这个行业内的许多前辈如朱明勇、易延友、何兵、徐昕等老师,除了打造的诸多成功案例外,同样可贵的是向行业输出了许多有巨大影响的、体系化的思想和文字。而我们作为更为年轻的律师,哪怕只是记录下自己在这个阶段独有的想法甚至迷惘,也是有必要、有价值的。

再者,一件简单但必须的事情是:节奏慢下来之后,与老师们、好朋友们、新朋友们多作线下线上的交流。非常惭愧,我有许多曾经埋在心中的规划想法至今都没能实现。例如我曾经考虑过,对身边敬佩的师长们和朋友们多做做访谈,比如对泽博所的周泽律师、王兴律师、王飞律师这三位老师,究竟他们是如何选择刑辩,如何在人生和案件的每一个重要阶段作出每一个重要的选择,如何一步步形成了现在的执业理念?目前来自于外界的挖掘都还是太少。这些内容的采与编,都很可能会成为重要的记录。又比如与我认为最了解司法运作机制的好友金琳、胡长朋等,深聊一些更具体的技术问题,把一些盲人摸象的刑辩方法做做有机的整合。只有与朋友们多作有益的交流,这些重要却还没做的事情,才会慢慢走上正轨并最终实现。

最重要的是,除了外化的行动外,告诫自己更要进一步修炼自己内在的正信。前两年办理绵阳曾建斌案期间,我写过一篇《刑辩律师,决不信邪》,也算是当时给自己立的flag。时隔一年半回过头来看,总体心态基本上做到了,但是过程中仍有迷惘,仍会患得患失,境界上还差着事儿。但这两年,倒也发现了自己应对负面心理的一个好方法——面对摆在面前的巨大障碍,不必想得过于长远,把目前手头上确认是正确的事情拆分成一个一个小的目标,逐个实现,事情总会好起来的。只要方向是对的、行的是正的,往前走就是了。刑辩的征途上,坚定的信心不是灌输出来的,而是通过一次次全身心的投入和应对获得的。

所以,对于这个刑辩2025,所有人都未知事情总体会更好或更坏,但无论环境如何,我都相信至少我们身边的许许多多的我们“自己”只要继续坚持,就一定会愈发善良、愈发坚定、愈发强大。都说刑辩如行军打仗,既然如此,今天就为自己在今年上阵前干了这碗鸡汤暖胃,并与师友们共勉吧。

Belonging Space|“婚介”与“拐卖”之间,山西和顺事件细节再追问

12 January 2025 at 01:04
CDT 档案卡
标题:“婚介”与“拐卖”之间,山西和顺事件细节再追问
作者:农村精障女性关注小组
发表日期:2025.1.10
来源:微信公众号“Belonging Space”
主题归类:山西女硕士被“收留”事件
CDS收藏:公民馆
版权说明:该作品版权归原作者所有。中国数字时代仅对原作进行存档,以对抗中国的网络审查。详细版权说明

一个月前的12月10日,山西和顺县联合调查组发布了“女硕士花花被收留”事件的初步调查结果。长期关注人口贩运和精障权益的自媒体“自由娜拉”很快就公开提出了几点有力的质疑,可惜在社交媒体上传播得不够广:

1,官方和家属对花花走失时间说法不同,分别是2011年5月和2010年初;

2,有记者在地采访的村民指最早“收留”花花的另有一男子,事实如何?和通报中发现花花的女村民郭某,以及最终“收留”她强迫婚育的张某,三人间有何关系?确定没有金钱交易吗?

3,网传花花还育有一子被“送养”,是否涉嫌“亲生亲卖型”拐卖儿童罪?(毕竟张某及其侄女一直哭穷,此次案发也是因为侄女想帮“二婶”寻亲后才能落户获取低保待遇)

我当时看到调查通报,对于这个女村民郭某扮演的角色也产生了直觉上的怀疑。没想到,官方迟迟不给出更新的调查结果,反倒是张某侄女“小核桃”又忍不住跳出来,给自家“补刀”了。

我关注这个账号很久了。她曾经为了自辩,公开曝光过很多细节,比如:证实花花走失是十五年不是警方说的十三年;花花在被“收留”前,曾在村附近桥洞下被多个光棍强暴;甚至花花还生过两个孩子(一个送养一个夭折)据网友说也是她直播时讲出来的。

舆情发酵后,她的抖音账号暂停了直播,沉寂了近一个月。但就在1月6日,她发了一则最新视频,竟自然而然地谈到了通报中的这位女村民——

image

抖音账号“小核桃”视频截图。

谁能想到,这位好心的老大娘,不仅把花花带回家,给了她“一口热饭”,还跟张某的爸爸一起撺掇了这门“婚事”?

按照官方通报,这中间只隔了“数日”。让我们斗胆猜测一下:这位老大娘要是伸手要个“婚姻介绍费”,或是假托是娘家要个“彩礼钱”,不过分吧?

这个魔鬼般的细节,让我想到了最近拐卖幸存者杨妞花接受人物专访,矢口否认当年“奶奶”掏钱从人贩子那里把她买下来可能涉嫌“收买被拐卖儿童罪”,原因只是“奶奶”不知道她是被人贩子拐来的。

但是,收买方对儿童交易的需求本身就刺激和培育了卖方市场,卖方自然有很多借口和托词,比如包装成送养。这也是为什么许多法学家一直在呼吁“买卖同罪”,从源头减少“人口交易”,“不知情”不是逃避法律公平裁决的理由。

“好心人”会不会违法呢?我们可以看下面这个司法判例:

image

裁判文书网(2016)川1324刑初166号裁判文书。

所以现在的案情关键,还是落在了,双方到底有没有金钱交易(似乎拐卖妇女罪的认定,并不像贩卖亲生小孩一样,对于金钱交易有一个“合理范畴”的界定)。

回过头来说,“小核桃”不断为自己的二叔张某“鸣冤”,有道理吗?考虑到农村基层治理和公共服务供给的差距(“小核桃”们朴素的正义感也会指向公权力机关寻亲不力是一切的导火索),也许还是会有很多人觉得“情有可原”。就像面对铁链女事件,也总有人对几个未成年孩子的命运更加共情和哀叹——从此以后他们有了一个“强奸犯”父亲和广为人知、饱受污名的“精神病”母亲。

但是请注意,公众努力发声想要的结果,恰恰就是“小核桃”的这句“如果”——

image

抖音账号“小核桃”视频截图。

为什么众多网友和农村村民们之间有这么大的认知错位呢?这个鸿沟,也许就像农村人看着城里“反婚反育”的高知单身女性一样遥远得不可理喻。这是古老的婚姻制度向现代社会文明跨越的一道“天堑”——差别就是,女性被迫牺牲自主性,去维系和成就一个家庭,以换取在世界上的一个位置,不再是天经地义。

一个普通女子享有的权利,凭什么放在一个精障女子身上,就活该被剥夺?因为精神问题带来的间歇性的“自主能力”缺失,尤其需要受到法律保障、由社会支持来补足。这不意味着代替她去做决定,而是需要在充分理解她的基础上、以实现她的最大利益为目的,尽可能地支持她。


为什么即便热度被控,很多网友还在自发日复一日地追问花花“被收留事件”?因为,“小花梅”是很多人心里的一道伤疤。而对我来说,从来都不只是“小花梅”,而是“小花梅们”。

本号的许多读者都是因“铁链女事件”而来,Belonging Space应该算得上是在网上最早针对事件发起网络集体行动的平台。当时,我们最在意的一项工作,就是搜集全网曝光的拐卖精障女性案件线索。如果是在一个健康的公民社会,真正有全民参与和监督反拐(中国反人口拐卖国家行动计划也是这么写的),也许每一个受害精障女性,都能得到及时的“解救、安置和康复”。

博主“基本常识”在上月评论山西和顺事件时,曾经反问过广大网友,“铁链女事件”后全国发起全面深入排查整治的打拐专项行动,可曾听说过查出并解救了哪一位被拐妇女?“当时我也曾天真地以为这件事会成为中国特定历史阶段拐卖妇女现象的一个终结点,以为江苏省和全国各省真的会借着这股舆论力量去解救妇女惩治罪犯。事实证明,我还是太幼稚了。”

他说,“丰县铁链女事件被定性为偶发个案的那一刻,其他被拐卖、被拘禁的精神“失常”妇女的命运就已经被宣判了。”这句话让我读来非常心碎,因为这就是我们的遭遇:不到两周,线索征集网站被关停下线、记载70多条线索的表单被有关部门“收缴”、持续大半年的约谈……

但你要问他们,这些妇女的下落如何,解救了没有,只有“无可奉告”。他们唯一关心的是,这些个案的舆情风险有多高,有没有被外媒所报道。

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2022年2月11日,某网络协作平台为线索征集表单提供平台永久域名,3天后收到通知紧急关停。

我们明明比更多人看到了更深更远更黑暗的角落,我们明明有机会解救更多的受害女性,为什么我们刚刚准备出发就被按倒在原地?是因为我们还不够勇敢、不够坚韧、不够成熟吗?为什么受到网暴的是我们,被造低劣“黄谣”的是我们,所有的施害者却逍遥法外隐于尘世?

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“自由娜拉”近日发起的线索征集平台。

当我近期在网络上看到这份表单的时候,我哭了。我没有第一时间在朋友圈转发,因为我完全知道发起人所承担的风险。我只能在心底里为这些冥冥中“接棒”的行动者们祈祷。好在,如发起者所说,这是个架设在海外的平台,不那么容易被“不可抗力”击倒。(目前表单已经填写了近40条,如果看到这里,请帮助ta们一起转发。)

而在昨天,我又看到了一份“全国被困缅甸受害者家属联合求救文档”,据说很快就有1000多人留言填写家属受害经过。然而今天中午再点进去,发现显示“文件分享已停止”。发起博主说,“之前也停止过分享,因为有人恶意留言,后面又恢复了。” 熟悉的配方,熟悉的味道。

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其实,建设一个公开的受困者线索举报平台,本应该是国家职责,但当民间社会不得不介入补位时,大家最朴素的诉求,无非是希望每个人都能平等地得到法律保障,而不是必须要闹到舆情热点,才能进入法治渠道。一次,两次,热度越来越难推高,人们也越来越麻木,整体消耗的是社会信任。

我不知道,这两份表单还能生长出怎样的生命力,我能做的只是把它们转发出来,希望它们或多或少留下一点点历史的印记。


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Belonging Space是关注性别与精神健康议题的草根团体,曾在上海运营常驻实体空间,近期转向在城市空间内游走。日常通过观影、讨论会、艺术工作坊等活动,推广性别平等和多元的价值观念。以艺术促进行动,以行动促进反思和自我疗愈,拓展身边的互助网络。

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老干体v|荣家登船,又见码头

11 January 2025 at 19:35

最近有个传闻,说中国民族资产阶级的代表人物无锡荣家,竟然也从上海移民至加拿大了!

虽无官方消息,但消息灵通的朋友言之凿凿,且放出了搬家具的照片,看来其来有自,毕竟北美的家具太不讲究。

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2024年底,注定是百年未有之大变局,人人都得做出选择!

荣氏产业,是上了中学历史教科书的。在1949年那个选择的年份,国内「十大资本家」全部撤走,荣家也不例外。但荣氏的一支荣德生(荣毅仁之父亲,荣氏企业创始人),据说因为一场官司牵绊,被迫滞留,成为国内民族资产阶级的重要象征。

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虽然在公私合营时,他积极带头响应,但当别的股东问是否甘心时,他泪流满面。

周公见此倒没有批评,只说这是人之常情。

特殊年代,荣毅仁的右手食指被铁柱打断;由于耽误治疗,左眼失明。

1993年,刚刚经历了又一场大变局的中国,又需要荣家出来展示改革开放的形象,于是荣毅仁出任副主席,被国内媒体公开称为「红色资本家」,为重启改开做出了巨大贡献。

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CDT 档案卡
标题:荣家登船,又见码头
作者:家传研究员
发表日期:2025.1.11
来源:微信公众号“老干体v”
主题归类:润学
CDS收藏:公民馆
版权说明:该作品版权归原作者所有。中国数字时代仅对原作进行存档,以对抗中国的网络审查。详细版权说明

如今30年又过去了,荣氏再有移民之举,不得不令人思之再三。

弄不好,这就是一起里程碑式事件,其震撼程度绝不亚于李嘉诚跑路。

世界银行有个全球移民数据的统计,其中中国是排名很靠前的国家。虽然移民需要筹谋多年,但分布年份也很能看到形势的演变:

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这个数据,应该是跨国移民,不包括去香港。因为仅四次大的逃港潮期间前往香港的非法移民就超过56万。

从上面可知:

  • 1964年是移民大年,这年是特殊十年的前奏四清运动开始年;
  • 1967年是惟一的移入年,有朋友说,这是很多国家在遣返革命青年。
  • 其他年份,包括市场化大潮开启的1994年前后、加入WTO的2001年之后;
  • 以及2019年中国人特别有钱之后直到现在。

如果说之前移民是有钱人的选择,现在则早已蔓延到中产。很多朋友,因为夫妻两人对未来形势的判断不同,走到家庭解体的地步。

人和钱是流向是一致的。在出口大规模顺差的前提下,我国外汇储备连续三个月下降,仅上月一个月就比11月份下降了近600亿美元!

这只能说明,要么外贸收入不结汇留在境外,要么资金在转移。当然,外资的下滑也是破纪录的《外资大降30.4%,怎么这么惨?

以致我们最近不得不紧急买回国际市场上的人民币,甚至今日决定暂停国债买入以保汇率。

如果再这样继续下去,只怕汇率和利率双双难保。事实上,汇价7.35已经建立了新的心理基数。

去年,我给一位退二线的荣氏无锡老乡写家传,他发牢骚说接班的儿子在换美元,不知未来如何。

我说,在全球范围内配置资产,本就是企业家该做的。听我这么说,父子在这件事上达成了一致。

走的多,来的少,这也影响了外汇收入。有个报道说「中国史上最大海外游客招标计划失败」,我们单向放开了那么多国家的签证,2024年入境外国游客数量仍为2019年同期水平的63%,收入从2019年的1320亿美元降到2024年的980亿美元,下降26%。

面对百年未有之大变局,每个人都走了历史的码头。是走是留,是上哪条船。

浣花溪杜甫|吴京的评论区炸了,网友喊他去妙瓦底救人

11 January 2025 at 19:29

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近日,缅甸的妙瓦底诈骗园区很火热,因为王星被骗到那里,让很多人重新认识了缅甸的诈骗,已经从缅北转移到妙瓦底了。

王星虽然被救了,但他说妙瓦底园区还有很多中国人,他见到的都有五十多个中国人被困,整个妙瓦底的中国人估计更多。

这些被骗过去缅甸的猪仔是中国人,背后的老板也是中国人,执行诈骗的还是中国人。

最后得出结论说是泰国不安全。泰国人估计也是一脸懵逼。

看到还有更多的人被困妙瓦底,而又无能为力,很多网友跑到吴京老婆的账号下留言,希望他能去解救。

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CDT 档案卡
标题:吴京的评论区炸了,网友喊他去妙瓦底救人
作者:徐鹏1
发表日期:2025.1.11
来源:微信公众号“浣花溪杜甫”
主题归类:演员王星失联事件
CDS收藏:公民馆
版权说明:该作品版权归原作者所有。中国数字时代仅对原作进行存档,以对抗中国的网络审查。详细版权说明

因为他曾说中国护照是通往最安全地区的通行证。

现在那么多中国人拿着中国护照,却不能回家,这和吴京说的不一样啊。

要知道有很多人是信了你的邪才敢去那些危险的地方啊。

于是网友纷纷找到吴京还有他老婆谢楠的账号下留言,可以说评论区炸了。

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在抖音上吴京的相关视频下评论区也炸了。

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吴京没有回应,于是他老婆的评论区也一起炸了。

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网友纷纷表示,快拍战狼3《冲出妙瓦底》吧。可吴京没有作出回应,只有沉默。

犹记得吴京两部《战狼》电影票房大卖,赚得盆满钵满,那个时候很高调啊,现在困在妙瓦底的中国同胞呼唤战狼不见其踪影。

高喊中国护照能把你从任何地方带回来,这是不是入戏太深。

这样的宣传会不会让没怎么出过国的傻白甜盲目自信,过于高估护照的含金量,结果深陷险境时才发现没用,意识到被护照哥骗了,已经晚了。

其实出国旅游,一定要多一些警惕,特别是要防范同胞,害人之心不可有,防人之心不可无。

特别注意的是自己不要想着出国发大财。就像当年去缅北一样,其实很多诈骗分子都是自愿去的,偷渡云南边境,边检不断拦截。只不过现在妙瓦底比缅北更残酷。

就像传销组织一样,诈骗组织也分层级,而且每一层都有不同的提成,是会发工资的,很多人能赚得盆满钵满。所以有的人都是自己想去挣钱才辗转偷渡去的。

泰国政府统计每年有七万人,每天两百人,从泰国去到缅甸,我想其中有很多都是自愿的。也有一些是被骗过去被迫实施诈骗的。也有的是绑票,要赎金。

总之,出来旅游,你心中不要有贪念,想着发大财,也尽量避开陌生的同胞,这样就能避免被拐。

而吴京虽然不能去妙瓦底拍战狼3,但至少可以在王星的女友出来求助的时候,像其他明星一样,转发一下微博吧。

希望能早日铲除妙瓦底电诈组织。持中国护照的同胞能早日回家。

~全文完~

Los Angeles Is Starring in an All-Too-Real Disaster Story

11 January 2025 at 18:01
A reporter, an L.A. native, has watched movies and TV destroy her hometown for years, but nothing can prepare someone for seeing real devastation.

© Loren Elliott for The New York Times

This week the sky over Los Angeles has been filled with smoke from multiple wildfires.

Far From the Fires, the Deadly Risks of Smoke Are Intensifying

11 January 2025 at 23:56
Researchers see a growing health danger from the vast plumes of pollution spawned by wildfires like the ones devastating Los Angeles.

© Mark Abramson for The New York Times

Pacific Palisades, Calif., on Tuesday. By some estimates, wildfire smoke causes some 675,000 premature deaths annually.

The California Wildfires Are the Latest Disaster Supercharged by Climate Change

Extreme weather events — deadly heat waves, floods, fires and hurricanes — are the consequences of a warming planet, scientists say.

© Ariana Drehsler for The New York Times

By Friday, the fires in California had consumed more than 30,000 acres and destroyed thousands of buildings.
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