Russia and China to hold naval drills in Sea of Japan in August, Interfax reports
The exercises are "defensive in nature and are not directed against other countries," the fleet said.
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Associated Press
15 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Myanmar military courts sentence 12 to life for human trafficking, including Chinese nationals
BANGKOK (AP) — Myanmar military courts have sentenced a dozen individuals — including five Chinese nationals — to life imprisonment for their involvement in multiple human trafficking cases, state-run media reported Saturday. According to the Myanma Alinn newspaper, the convictions stem from a range of offenses including the online distribution of sex videos and the trafficking of Myanmar women into forced marriages in China. In one case, five people — including two Chinese nationals identified as Lin Te and Wang Xiaofeng — were sentenced to life imprisonment by a military court in Yangon, the country's largest city, on July 29. They were found guilty under Myanmar's Anti-Trafficking in Persons law for producing sex videos involving three Myanmar couples and distributing the footage online for profit. In a separate case, the same court sentenced a woman and three Chinese nationals — Yibo, Cao Qiu Quan and Chen Huan. The group was convicted of planning to transport two Myanmar women, recently married to two of the convicted Chinese men, into China, the report said. Additionally, three other people received life sentences from a separate military court for selling a woman as a bride to China, and for attempting to do the same with another woman. In another case, a woman from Myanmar's central Magway region was given a 10-year sentence on July 30 for planning to transport two Myanmar women to be sold as brides to Chinese men, the report said. Human trafficking, particularly of women and girls lured or forced into marriages in China, remains a widespread problem in Myanmar, a country still reeling from civil war after the military seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021. The persisting conflict in most areas of Myanmar has left millions of women and children vulnerable to exploitation. A 2018 report by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Kachin Women's Association Thailand (KWAT) — which works to prevent and respond to trafficking in northern Kachin and Shan states bordering China — estimated that about 21,000 women and girls from northern Myanmar were forced into marriage in China between 2013 and 2017. In its latest report published in December, KWAT noted a sharp decline in the number of trafficking survivors accessing its services from 2020 to 2023. It attributed the decline to the COVID-19 pandemic and border closures caused by ongoing conflict following the army takeover. However, it reported a resurgence in 2024 as people from across Myanmar began migrating to China in search of work. Maj-Gen Aung Kyaw Kyaw, a deputy minister for Home Affairs, said during a June meeting that the authorities had handled 53 cases of human trafficking, forced marriage and prostitution in 2024, 34 of which involved China, according to a report published by Myanmar's Information Ministry. The report also said that a total of 80 human trafficking cases, including 14 involving marriage deception by foreign nationals, were recorded between January and June this year.
Wall Street Journal
an hour ago
- Wall Street Journal
Trump's AI Strategy Against China Gets Its First Big Test
The U.S. and China just released competing plans to win the artificial-intelligence race. They will get their first test this coming week when the superpowers pitch Asian countries that are picking sides. The Trump administration is expected to tout its strategy for exporting American AI for a 21-nation Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in South Korea focused on technology, which begins Monday, U.S. officials said. The goal is to explain why U.S. chips and software are best for deploying AI in sectors such as healthcare and make inroads against China.
Fox News
an hour ago
- Fox News
Trump closes week with plans to reposition subs amid heightened Russia tension, new tariffs
President Donald Trump wrapped up his second term's 28th week in office announcing he would reposition two nuclear submarines amid increased tension with Russia, after just adding new tariffs to a host of countries. On Monday, Trump unveiled a new deadline for Russia to end its conflict with Ukraine, and former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said the announcement is an additional "step towards war." In response, Trump made a rare announcement Friday that he would reposition two submarines to best respond to the escalated tension between the two countries. "Based on the highly provocative statements of the Former President of Russia, Dmitry Medvedev, who is now the Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, I have ordered two Nuclear Submarines to be positioned in the appropriate regions, just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that," Trump said in a Friday post on Truth Social. Trump did not disclose any additional details regarding the submarines, and defense officials rarely comment on submarine placement given the highly classified nature of their operations. Here's what also happened this week: Trump also signed several executive orders Thursday related to tariffs, including raising the tariffs on Canada from 25% to 35%. The president raised the tariff rate due to Canada's contribution to the flow of fentanyl and other illicit drugs into the U.S., according to the Trump administration. However, Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney challenged that assessment. "Canada accounts for only 1% of U.S. fentanyl imports and has been working intensively to further reduce these volumes," Carney said in a Friday statement. Trump also modified reciprocal tariffs on a series of countries Thursday, bumping up the tariff rate on Brazil to 50%. Meanwhile, Trump reached a trade deal on Thursday with South Korea, driving down tariffs against South Korea from 25% as pitched in the spring to 15%. Additionally, Trump agreed Thursday to continue trade talks with Mexico for another 90 days. Trump also signed the VA Home Loan Program Reform Act into law Wednesday, which would make permanent a partial claims program that seeks to keep veterans from losing their homes to foreclosure. The new partial claims program under the Department of Veterans' Affairs' (VA) Home Loan Program permits veterans who are behind on mortgage payments to tack on those payments to the tail end of their loans, while also offering them an interest-free loan in the interim. "This legislation provides desperately needed relief to veterans and their families who have fallen behind in their mortgages," Trump told reporters Wednesday. "It's a really sort of an amazing situation, and it helps keep our promise to end veterans homelessness. And, we're going to do that for America. We're going to do that for our great veterans." Estimates suggest the partial claim program could assist up to 3.7 million veterans, according to Trump. "It's common sense legislation," Trump said. "My administration is committed to doing everything possible to ensure that our veterans are treated with respect and treated as well as anybody in this country."
