Month: August 2023

Cheng, 48, was a business television anchor for Chinese state television when she was detained in August 2020 for allegedly sharing state secrets with another country.  In China, what constitutes a state secret is a very vague concept and can involve anything which the government deems to be sensitive.  Her first public statement since her arrest came in what she called a “love letter to 25 million people” which was dictated to consular staff during a visit and released by her partner.  There has been some speculation that the sentencing…

Since the partition from India in 1947, Pakistan’s military had played the role of a kingmaker, and even taken direct control of the government affairs several times.  t has always been known and repeatedly asserted that for a political party to survive in Pakistan, it needs strong backing from the all-powerful military establishment.  the outgoing Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif admitted that a government cannot function properly in a coup-prone country without the support of the military.  Sharif used to openly criticize his predecessor Imran Khan that he won the 2018…

Airspace Closed, India Asks Citizens to Leave Violence-Hit Niger by Road  About 250 Indians are living in Niger where a military coup last month has led to widespread protests and violence.  Several European countries have evacuated their citizens from the unstable nation now ruled by a military junta.  Embassy in Niger’s capital is in touch with the Indians living there and helping them leave the country.  Backed by powerful army generals, the head of the Presidential Guard declared himself the “president of the National Council for the Safeguard of the…

Russia purposefully targeted a Ukrainian hotel used by the UN to make officials, journalists, and aid agencies feel unsafe.  UN ‘appalled’ by a missile attack on a hotel used by officials.  Child killed by Russian missile strike  Fragments from downed missiles landed in Kyiv as explosions rocked the capital.  Russia purposefully targeted a Ukrainian hotel used by the UN to make officials, journalists, and aid agencies feel unsafe, our military analyst has said. Professor Michael Clarke said the Reikartz Hotel in Zaporizhzhia was widely known to be used by the…

Deadly flames overtook Hawaiian town ‘without warning’, residents say  Maui fire deaths surge to 55 and likely to go higher, governor says   Wildfire wreckage in Lahaina.  President Biden declares major disaster on Maui.   Maui residents had ‘little warning’ before flames overtook the town.  Maui County confirmed on Thursday night that the death toll has risen to 55.  In a statement, authorities reported a two-person increase in the overall number of fatalities attributed to the Lahaina, Pulehu, and Upcountry fires.  The Lahaina fire, the statement noted, is still active. Addressing a…

Indian American doctor arrested for allegedly masturbating in front of a 14-year-old girl on a flight from Hawaii to Boston.  If proven guilty he will be sentenced to 90 days in prison followed by a year of supervised release and a fine of up to $5,000.  The incident reportedly occurred during a flight from Honolulu to Boston when he allegedly exposed himself and engaged in inappropriate conduct.  Acting Special Agent in Charge Christopher Dizenna of the FBI’s Boston Division issued a stern statement, branding the act as “reprehensible.”  According to…