Battle Lines: ‘Russia is now but China is the long-term threat'
Will there be a Ukraine peace deal this year? What's it like to be a reporter in China? Is Labour too wishy-washy on defence? And which conflicts should we be paying more attention to?
Venetia Rainey is joined by defence editor Danielle Sheridan, senior foreign correspondent Sophia Yan and Ukraine: The Latest host Adelie Pojzman-Pontay to discuss the biggest stories of the year so far.
Plus, they reflect on what it's like to be a foreign correspondent and the unique advantages and challenges of being a woman reporting on war and defence, including why can't pregnant women go on Royal Navy ships.
Listen to Battle Lines using the audio player in this article or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or your favourite podcast app.
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Los Angeles Times
5 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
The last Hong Kong pro-democracy party that held street protests disbands
HONG KONG — Hong Kong pro-democracy political party the League of Social Democrats announced Sunday that it had disbanded due to immense political pressure, the latest casualty in a years-long crackdown that has quieted the city's once-potent opposition. After massive anti-government protests in 2019, many leading activists were prosecuted and often jailed under a 2020 national security law imposed by Beijing. Dozens of civil society groups dissolved. Media outlets critical of the government closed. The League of Social Democrats was the only pro-democracy party that still staged small street protests from time to time, and it held street booth activities to carry on its advocacy despite the risks. Its chairperson, Chan Po-ying, said the disbandment decision was made after careful deliberation, especially taking into account the consequences to its members and allies. Chan refused to elaborate on the pressure but said she was proud to say that the party had contributed to the city's pro-democracy movement in these few years. 'We have stayed true to our original aspirations and haven't let down ... the trust placed in us by those who went to prison,' she said. 'While we are now forced to disband and feel an ache in our conscience, we have no other choice.' Hong Kong, a former British colony, will mark the 28th anniversary of its return to Chinese rule on Tuesday. The city used to hold annual pro-democracy protests that day and other demonstrations demanding policy changes. But those ceased after most organizing groups were disbanded and the leading activists were jailed. Critics say the drastic political changes under the security law reflect that the freedoms Beijing promised to keep intact in 1997 are shrinking. The Beijing and Hong Kong governments insist the law is necessary for the city's stability. A Chinese official overseeing Hong Kong affairs in 2023 said protests are not the only way for people to express their views, signaling Beijing's stance toward demonstrations in the city. In April, Hong Kong's biggest pro-democracy party, the Democratic Party, also voted to give its leadership the mandate to move toward a potential disbandment. Party veterans told the Associated Press that some members were warned of consequences if the party didn't shut down. A final vote is expected at a later date. Chan said she believed the 'one country, two systems' principle, which Beijing uses to govern Hong Kong, has already ended, pointing to the Chinese government's imposition of the security law and introduction of the concept of 'soft resistance,' a term officials use to refer to underlying security risks. 'One country, two systems has already [become] one country, one system,' she said. Founded in 2006, the League of Social Democrats was a left-wing political party that opposed what it called collusion between government and business, upheld the principle that people have a say and was firmly committed to the interests of underprivileged residents. It was widely known for its more aggressive tactics when fighting for change. Its members have thrown bananas, eggs and lunch meat at officials or pro-Beijing lawmakers as a protest gesture. Its party platform said the group advocated nonviolent resistance but would not avoid physical confrontations — a stance that set it apart from older, traditional pro-democracy groups. It once had three lawmakers in office. Its longest-serving lawmaker, Leung Kwok-hung — Chan's husband — was disqualified from the legislature due to his manner of taking his oath in office in 2017. On the streets, the group's activism led to the arrests and jailing of its members. Last year, Leung and prominent LGBTQ+ activist Jimmy Sham, a former party leader, were sentenced to nearly seven years and more than four years, respectively, over their roles in an unofficial primary election under the sweeping security law. Sham was freed from prison last month. In recent years, the party has had limited political influence, no longer holding any seats in the legislature or local district councils. Even a bank ceased to provide account services to the group. But it continued to stage occasional small protests, despite those activities sometimes leading to arrests. On June 12, Chan and other members were fined after being found guilty over their street booth activities. Undeterred by their convictions, they kept pressing on and protested against the ruling outside the court. Chan wiped away tears during Sunday's news conference and chanted slogans with other members at the end. She said she doesn't believe that democracy will come in the near future. 'Moving forward is not at all easy,' she said. 'I hope everyone can become like an ember, a flying spark — still carrying light, keeping that light alive, no matter how small it may be.' Leung writes for the Associated Press.
Newsweek
8 hours ago
- Newsweek
Betting Market in Disarray Over Zelensky Suit That's Also Maybe Not a Suit
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A major crypto-currency prediction market placed the odds of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wearing a suit before the end of June at just 3 percent on Sunday, with confusion reigning over the Ukrainian leader's attire days after he appeared to don a suit-style outfit for a series of meetings with world leaders. Polymarket, a platform that allows users to trade on the outcomes of real-world events using cryptocurrency, currently includes a market where users can place wagers on whether or not Zelensky will wear a suit before July. It was intended to resolve based on whether the Ukrainian leader was photographed or videotaped wearing a suit between May 22 and June 30, 2025. It attracted over $12 million in volume, but instead of resolving cleanly, it has ignited a furious debate online and among bettors, despite international news coverage and Polymarket's own descriptions seemingly confirming the appearance of a suit. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrives ahead of a formal dinner at the Paleis Huis ten Bosch ahead of the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrives ahead of a formal dinner at the Paleis Huis ten Bosch ahead of the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. AP Photo/Markus Schreiber Zelensky, attending the NATO summit in The Hague earlier this week, looked to choose a military-style yet formal blazer with a buttoned-up black shirt, including for his arrival to a formal dinner hosted by Dutch royalty on Tuesday. He also appeared alongside world leaders in the Netherlands in a black utility-style collared jacket, a noticeable departure from his wardrobe choices prior to his now-infamous and disastrous White House meeting in February. Zelensky chose a similar jacket for a meeting with British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in London just ahead of the NATO summit. The Polymarket chance of Zelensky wearing a suit by July jumped to 19 percent the day after the summit ended. Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer, left, welcomes Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Downing Street in London, Monday, June 23, 2025. Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer, left, welcomes Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Downing Street in London, Monday, June 23, 2025. AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth The Ukrainian president's outfit choices have drawn persistent attention and occasionally criticism, not least during his ill-fated trip to the Oval Office earlier this year. Zelensky's team was repeatedly told by President Donald Trump's advisers that Zelensky should opt to swap out his typical khaki or black military dress when visiting the White House, Axios reported in late February, citing two sources with direct knowledge of the topic. "He's all dressed up today," Trump told cameras as he greeted Zelensky at the White House. Zelensky arrived dressed all in black — but not in a suit. Gathered with Trump, Vice President JD Vance and other senior administration officials, Zelensky was prodded by a reporter on why he had not donned a suit. The Ukrainian leader shoots back that he will wear a suit "after this war finishes." From left, European Council President Antonio Costa, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen pose for photographers prior to a meeting on the sidelines of... From left, European Council President Antonio Costa, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen pose for photographers prior to a meeting on the sidelines of the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. More AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert Zelensky typically wears military-style fatigues, or clothing boasting the Ukrainian trident, a nod to his role as a war-time leader showing solidarity with frontline troops, rather than a peace-time politician. There is a "political message" in Zelensky's choices, reminding the world he is a president representing a country actively at war, said Oleksandr Merezhko, the head of Ukraine's parliamentary foreign affairs committee and a member of Zelensky's Servant of the People party. "Psychologically, the fact the President doesn't wear a suit might irritate only those who don't like Ukraine," Merezhko told Newsweek. "It's about them, not about what the President wears." Zelensky's dress should depend on the situation, Merezhko said. "While the war continues, the President should somehow in his attire to emphasize that he is commander in chief," he said. "In some rare cases he might wear a suit," but one adjusted to nod to the military, Merezhko added.
Boston Globe
10 hours ago
- Boston Globe
How Europe got tough on migration
Advertisement Procaccini's party, Brothers of Italy, is now very popular in Italy. Its leader, Giorgia Meloni, is the country's prime minister. And Procaccini is a chair of the European Conservatives and Reformists group, a big force in the European Parliament. Across the political spectrum in Europe, leaders, right and left, are pushing a tougher line on migrants lacking permanent legal status. The shift has not set off the same turmoil that President Trump's immigration crackdown has stirred in the United States, but it is already being seen as entrenched and profound. In nations across the European Union, centrists are joining staunch conservatives to roll back protections in an effort to make it easier to deport migrants lacking permanent legal status. Denmark's 'zero' refugee policy has become a model other leaders want to replicate. European Union officials are working on new rules that would help to send asylum-seekers to third countries. The bloc struck a recent deal to deploy agents in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is not an EU member, to better police borders. Advertisement Some of those ideas have previously met with criticism from European Union officials. 'There is now this really broad consensus among almost all political camps ," said Martin Hofmann, an adviser at the International Center for Migration Policy Development. 'We will be tougher, we will be stricter. " The shift has steadily built with the voter backlash that helped fuel nationalist, far-right, and populist parties after Europe took in more than 1 million Syrians, Iraqis, Afghans, and others seeking asylum a decade ago. Migration picked up again, though less drastically, just after the peak of the coronavirus pandemic. But since then, the number of migrants arriving has fallen. They declined about 20 percent in the first five months of 2025, after a sharp decline last year, according to preliminary data collected by Frontex, the European Union's border agency. At the same time, expulsions have slowly increased. But migration along some routes remains significant. Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the bloc's executive arm, emphasized in a recent letter to political leaders that arrivals from Libya into Greece are surging, and said that Europe must 'insist on strengthening border management.' Hofmann said that because anti-immigrant sentiments are often a proxy for wider frustration with a perceived lack of opportunities, high costs of living, and a loss of social status, a drop in migrant arrivals alone was unlikely to blunt the issue's potency. In his view, policies that seem to be working to stem immigration are likely to retain their appeal and continue to gain momentum. That includes offshoring asylum requests, which the European Commission is exploring. Advertisement Not long ago, when the British government proposed sending asylum-seekers to Rwanda, the Council of Europe's commissioner for human rights said the plan was another representation 'of an ongoing trend towards externalization of asylum and migration policy in Europe,' which he said was 'a matter of concern for the global system of protection of the rights of refugees.' Now, the policy of offshoring asylum requests has become a signature of Meloni, who has tried to hold asylum-seekers in Albania while their cases are processed. Though Italian judges have blocked her effort for now, von der Leyen called it 'an example of out-of-the-box thinking.' Now the European Union is seeking to redirect applicants to third countries while it works to streamline the deportation process for asylum-seekers whose applications have been rejected. The depth of the change was on full display last month when Mette Frederiksen, the Social Democratic, left-leaning Danish prime minister, stood alongside the staunchly conservative Meloni in Rome to support tougher migration rules. Frederiksen, whose country has relatively few asylum requests, has for several years overseen one of Europe's most restrictive policies. Others are now seeking to adopt a similar approach. Chancellor Friedrich Merz of Germany, the center-right leader of Europe's largest economy, this month called Denmark a 'role model' on migration policy. Meloni and Frederiksen presented an open letter in which they argued that the European Convention on Human Rights, the 75-year-old cornerstone for the protection of human rights in Europe, 'posed too many limitations on the states' ability to decide whom to expel from their territories.' Advertisement It was also signed by leaders from Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland. Germany has now instituted checks on its land borders, a step that opponents, including some of its neighbors, have criticized as undermining the commitment of EU members to free movement within the bloc. The Polish government suspended asylum rights as migrants have massed at the border with Belarus, which is outside the European Union. Poland argued that Russian and Belarusian officials were deliberately encouraging migration in a bid to destabilize Europe. Some worry that the shift in tone around migration could harm newcomers who remain in Europe. In recent Polish presidential elections, the nationalist candidate won by running in part on a 'Poland first, Poles first' tagline. The shift in tone is striking even to those who have long been proponents of tougher measures. A decade ago, when Australia barred migrants trying to enter the country by sea from resettlement and sent asylum-seekers to Papua New Guinea, rights groups said the policy provoked human rights violations. The European Union was also critical, said Alexander Downer, an Australian former foreign minister. 'They used to give me lectures all the time about how naughty we were,' Downer said. 'Von der Leyen has embraced it now.' This article originally appeared in
