FAKE NEWS ATTACK ON CHINA

WADA: 'No credible evidence of wrongdoing' in Chinese swimming case

Miami (AFP) – The president of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) on Monday said his organisation had received "no credible evidence of wrongdoing" during their investigation into Chinese swimmers testing positive for a prescription heart drug.


Issued on: 22/04/2024

The World Anti-Doping Agency says it had "no credible evidence of wrongdoing" during its investigation into Chinese swimmers 

© Jonathan NACKSTRAND / AFP

The sport was rocked at the weekend by revelations that 23 Chinese swimmers tested positive for trimetazidine (TMZ) -- which can enhance performance -- ahead of the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

The swimmers were allowed to compete after world governing bodies accepted China's findings that they had ingested it unwittingly from food during a meet in late 2020 and the early days of 2021.

Several went on to win medals, including gold, and many are in line to compete at the Paris Olympics this summer.

"Having spoken at length with our science department, legal affairs department and intelligence investigations unit, what I can say right now is that at every stage, WADA followed the whole due process and diligently investigated every line of inquiry in this matter," said WADA president Witold Banka.

"If we had to do it over again now, we would do exactly the same thing," he added.

Beijing on Monday called reports of the positive tests "fake news".

China's foreign ministry hit back at the widespread reports, which first emerged in the New York Times and German broadcaster ARD on Saturday, and cited a review of confidential documents and emails.

"The relevant reports are fake news and not factual," said foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin.

© 2024 AFP

US Supreme Court weighs ban on homeless people sleeping outside

Washington (AFP) – The US Supreme Court heard arguments Monday on whether cities can ban homeless people from sleeping outside, as the country grapples with increasing rates of Americans living on the streets and a lack of shelter beds.


Issued on: 22/04/2024

The Supreme Court's ruling could have wide-ranging impacts as cities across the United States deal with homeless encampments in public spaces 

© Brendan Smialowski / AFP


The case centers around regulations in the city of Grants Pass, in the western state of Oregon, which banned camping or using any kind of bedding on public property after its public parks became filled with tents, blankets and cardboard.

Those breaking the rules face hundred-dollar fines and possible prison sentences for repeat offenders.

Homeless advocates have argued that banning people from camping when there is nowhere else to sleep amounts to "cruel and unusual punishment" -- prohibited by the US Constitution's Eighth Amendment.

The decision of the nine Supreme Court justices, expected by June 30, could carry high stakes. A record 653,100 people are homeless across the country, according to a 2023 count.

"The ordinances by design make it physically impossible for homeless people to live in Grants Pass without facing endless fines and jail time," Kelsi Corkran, a lawyer arguing against the ban, told the Supreme Court on Monday.

Corkran added that the ban turns "the city's homelessness problem into someone else's problem by forcing its homeless residents into other jurisdictions."

Theane Evangelis, lawyer for Grants Pass, defended the city's punishments as "not in any way unusual."

"This court should reverse and end the Ninth Circuit's failed experiment," Evangelis told the justices, referring to the appellate court which in 2022 blocked the city's regulations.

Evangelis said the 2022 ruling had "fueled the spread of encampments while harming those it purports to protect."

Grants Pass, population 40,000, does not have a municipal homeless shelter and instead relies on private charities.

Asked by Chief Justice John Roberts what the city would do if its appeal failed at the Supreme Court, Evangelis said its "hands will be tied."

"It will be forced to surrender its public spaces," she added.

Roberts said that the city's ban was not necessarily a criminalization of homeless "status" since this could change, and instead was about "conduct."

"You can remove the homeless status in an instant if you move to a shelter or situations otherwise change and of course it can be moved the other way as well if you're kicked out of the shelter," Roberts said.

Elena Kagan, one of three liberal justices on the conservative-dominated bench, reproached the city authorities for criminalizing a "biological necessity."

"You could say breathing is conduct too, but presumably, you would not think that it's okay to criminalize breathing in public. And for a homeless person who has no place to go, sleeping in public is kind of like breathing in public."

In addition to poverty, drug addiction and a lack of shelter beds propelling homelessness, economists argue the country's market-rate housing stock is woefully behind target -- leaving the United States short of millions of homes needed to meet demand and increasing prices for existing housing.

© 2024 AFP

Justice Sotomayor: Should unhoused people 'kill themselves' instead of sleeping outside?

David Edwards

April 22, 2024 

US Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor POOL/AFP/File

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor suggested that an Oregon town wanted unhoused people to "kill themselves" after the municipality moved to punish people for sleeping outside.

During oral arguments on Monday, Sotomayor told Theane Evangelis, a lawyer for Grants Pass, that the city's "intent is to remove every homeless person and give them no public space to sit down with a blanket or lay down with a blanket and fall asleep."

"So we think that it is harmful for people to be living in public spaces, on streets and in parks, whatever bedding materials, when humans are living in those conditions," Evangelis replied. "We think that that's not compassionate."

"Oh, it's not, but neither is providing them with nothing to alleviate that situation," the justice interrupted. "Where do we put them if every city, every village, every town lacks compassion and passes a law identical to this? Where are they supposed to sleep? Are they supposed to kill themselves not sleeping?"

Evangelis argued she presented a "necessity defense" and a "complicated policy question."

"What's so complicated about letting someone somewhere sleep with a blanket in the outside if they have nowhere to sleep?" Sotomayor wondered.

"The laws against defecation, the laws against keeping things unsanitary around yourself, those have all been upheld," she added. "The only thing this injunction does is say you can't stop someone from sleeping in a public place without a blanket."

Watch the video below.

Biden admin issues rule protecting abortion privacy

Washington (AFP) – President Joe Biden's administration announced a new rule Monday to protect the privacy of women who go out of their home state to have legal abortions, amid fears they could be prosecuted upon their return.


Issued on: 22/04/2024 - 

Pro abortion rights activists hold placards during the annual anti-abortion demonstration in New York City, on March 23, 2024

 © Kena Betancur / AFP

The move comes as reproductive rights take center stage in the November presidential election, following a pivotal court decision that abolished or severely curtailed legal abortion in 21 states.

"No one should have to live in fear that their conversations with their doctor or that their medical claims data might be used to target or track them," Melanie Fontes Rainer of the Office for Civil Rights told reporters.

The rule prohibits the disclosure of private health information sought to investigate individuals who seek or obtain reproductive health services that are lawful. It also applies to healthcare providers.

Rainer urged women to come forward and file a complaint if they believed their privacy rights had been violated.

The Health and Human Services agency received almost 30,000 public comments before finalizing its new rule, which strengthens the Health Insurance Portability Act (HIPAA) of 1996.

In 2022, conservative judges appointed by former President Donald Trump helped strike down a half-century of legal precedent that upheld the constitutional right to abortion, sparking widespread outrage.

Women in Republican-controlled states have since faced problems accessing reproductive care, including for non-viable pregnancies and even IVF treatment.

Abortion rights have become a cornerstone of President Biden's re-election campaign, and the issue helped Democrats outperform expectations in the 2022 midterm vote.

© 2024 AFP

WOMEN, LIFE, FREEDOM

Nobel laureate urges Iranians to protest 'war against women'

Paris (AFP) – Jailed Iranian Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi urged Iranians to protest a "full-scale war against women" after authorities intensified a crackdown obliging women to obey the country's Islamic dress code.


Issued on: 22/04/2024 

Mohammadi urged Iranians to report abuses 

© Hanna Johre / NTB/AFP


Mohammadi, who is held in Tehran's Evin prison, urged Iranian women to share their stories of arrest and sexual assault at the hands of the authorities via her Instagram page.

With international tensions surging in the Middle East, Iranian authorities this month announced a nationwide operation to enforce the wearing of the Islamic headscarf by women, which has been obligatory since shortly after the 1979 Islamic revolution.

Activists have reported that women have been arrested and taken away to police stations by the so-called morality police with the Persian hashtag "war against women" trending on social media.

"People of Iran, I ask you, artists, intellectuals, workers, teachers, and students... inside and outside the country to protest against this war against women," Mohammadi said in a message posted late Sunday by her supporters.

"Do not underestimate the power of sharing your experiences. Doing so will expose the misogynistic government and bring it to its knees," she added.

She accused the authorities of bringing "a full-scale war against all women to every street in Iran".

Mohammadi issued the message in a phone call from Evin prison, her supporters said. Deprived of the use of her own prison phone card for five months, she used that of her fellow detainee Sepideh Gholian who is also seen as a political prisoner by rights groups.

She said that a newly arrived prisoner in Evin was Dina Ghalibaf, a journalist and student, who, according to rights groups, was arrested after accusing security forces on social media of putting her in handcuffs and sexually assaulting her during a previous arrest at a metro station.

"For years, we have witnessed many women who have endured assault, abuse, and beatings by government agents," said Mohammadi.

Mohammadi, 52, was last year awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of her campaign for human rights in Iran, which has seen her spend much of the last two decades in and out of jail.

She has been incarcerated since November 2021 and has not seen her Paris-based husband and twin children for several years.

Human Rights Watch on Monday said that security forces "raped, tortured, and sexually assaulted detainees" during a crackdown on nationwide protests in 2022 and 2023.

The rights watchdog said it had investigated abuses against 10 detained people from regions with Kurdish, Baluch, and Azeri minority populations.

© 2024 AFP

Chile steel plant reopens as tariffs imposed on Chinese imports

Santiago (AFP) – Chile's biggest steel plant has resumed activities after the government imposed a temporary tariff on Chinese imports.

Issued on: 22/04/2024 - 

The Huachipato steel plant, Chile's largest, has become a casualty of cheap Chinese steel imports 

© GUILLERMO SALGADO / AFP

The Huachipato plant, which provides 2,700 direct jobs and some 20,000 indirect ones, announced a month ago it was winding down, unable to compete with Chinese steel that sells for about 40 percent cheaper in the South American country.

The company had asked Chile's CNDP anti-price distortion commission to recommend the government impose a 25 percent tariff on imported steel.

The commission in a recent ruling found "sufficient evidence to support the existence of dumping" -- the selling of Chinese steel below cost.

Then on Saturday, Chile's finance ministry imposed a temporary tariff ranging from 25 percent to 34 percent on Chinese steel imports.

The measure, which appeared to fly in the face of a free trade agreement between Chile and China, was authorized by the CNDP.

"We hope that this interim measure will be confirmed with definitive measures that will allow us to continue to compete on an equal footing," the plant said in a statement.

Latin America last year imported a record 10 million tons of Chinese steel -- a 44 percent rise from the year before, according to data from the Latin American Steel Association (Alacero).

Two decades ago, the figure was just 85,000 tons.

Some 1.4 million people work in the steel industry in the region.

The United States, too, has complained about cheap Chinese steel, and last week US President Joe Biden called for a hike in tariffs as he accused the Asian giant of "cheating."

Huachipato specializes in key inputs for the mining industry, including steel bars and balls used in the milling of copper -- of which Chile is the world's largest producer.

© 2024 AFP

WWIII

Poland ready to host NATO members' nuclear weapons to counter Russia, president says

Poland’s president says the NATO member would be ready to host the nuclear weapons of the military alliances's other members in response to Russia’s moving its nuclear weapons to neighboring Belarus.

STUPID IDEA BEING CLOSER WILL NOT MAKE NUKES MORE EFFECTIVE

Issued on: 22/04/2024 

Polish President Andrzej Duda attends the acceptance of the first South Korean K2 battle tanks and South Korean K9 howitzers for Poland in December 6, 2022 at the Baltic Container Terminal in Gdynia. 

© Mateusz Slodkowski, AFP

By: NEWS WIRES

President Andrzej Duda made the comments in an interview published Monday in the Fakt tabloid.

Russia has “recently relocated its nuclear weapons to Belarus,” Duda said, in a reference to Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko's announcement in December.

“If there were a decision by our allies to deploy nuclear weapons within the nuclear sharing also on our territory in order to strengthen the security of NATO's eastern flank, we are ready,” Duda said.

He said Poland is aware of its obligations within the 32-member alliance that includes the United States.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who shares Duda’s views on national security, later told journalists that Poland's security and military potential are his priorities, but he needs to discuss this suggestion with Duda urgently.

“I would also like any potential initiatives to be, first of all, very well prepared by the people responsible for them and (I would like) all of us to be absolutely positive that we want it,” Tusk said in a rather reserved response.

“This idea is absolutely massive, I would say, and very serious (and) I would need to know all the circumstances that have led the president to make this declaration,” he said.

Duda has previously spoken of Poland’s openness to nuclear sharing within NATO, before Tusk's government came to power in December.

In Moscow, a Kremlin spokesperson said any deployment of U.S. nuclear weapons in Poland would be met with steps necessary for Russia’s security.

“The military will, of course, analyze the situation if such plans are implemented, and in any case will do everything necessary, (will take) all the necessary retaliatory steps to guarantee our safety,” Dmitry Peskov said during a daily news conference.

Three NATO members are nuclear powers: the U.S., the United Kingdom and France.

Within the sharing program, the U.S has nuclear facilities based in some allied countries: Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Turkey, to deploy and store the weapons. Washington retains absolute control and custody over the weapons it deploys.

Seven members of the alliance have dual-capability aircraft that can carry conventional bombs or nuclear warheads and are available for use should such a strike be needed.

Poland is a staunch supporter of neighboring Ukraine as it fends off Russia's full-scale invasion, now in its third year.

(AP)

In Belgium, the Flemish far right is gaining ground ahead of the European elections

Agence France-Presse
April 22, 2024

Chairman of Flemish far-right party Vlaams Belang Tom Van Grieken delivers a speech at their programme congress in Ghent on March 24, 2024. © Kurt Desplenter, AFP

As Belgians prepare to cast their ballots on June 9 in the European elections as well as the country's upcoming federal and regional elections, recent polls show widening regional disparities among voters in Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels. While the far right attracts few voters in French-speaking parts of Belgium, it's dominating the polls in Flanders.

With seven weeks to go until the European elections, the far right is making its mark on the political landscape of several European countries, including Belgium.

In Flemish-speaking Flanders in the country's north, the wealthiest and most populous region, nationalist and pro-independence party Vlaams Belang ("Flemish Interest") is leading the polls.

According to the latest Ipsos-Le Soir-RTL-VTM-Het Laatste Nieuws "Grand Baromètre", a joint poll covering the European elections as well as Belgium's federal and regional elections, Vlaams Belang came out on top in Flanders with 27.4 percent of voting intentions.

Founded in 1979, the party – then known as Vlaams Blok ("Flemish Bloc") – enjoyed electoral success until 2004, when it dissolved itself after a court ruled that the party had violated the 1981 anti-racism law.

The party was then re-established under the name of Vlaams Belang.

But faced with the rise of a new Flemish nationalist and separatist party, the New Flemish Alliance (N-VA), which held a much more moderate view on immigration, Vlaams Belang struggled to find success until the 2019 federal elections, when it once again became Flanders' second-largest party, winning 18.65 percent of the vote and 18 seats in the House of Representatives (the lower house of the Belgian Parliament).

In Wallonia, the Belgian Socialist Party (PS), situated on the other side of the political spectrum from Vlaams Belang, is leading the polls with 21.3 percent, slightly ahead of the centre-right party Mouvement Réformateur (MR) at 20.5 percent, according to the "Grand Baromètre".

In this French-speaking region, the far-right Chez Nous (“At our place”) party, founded in 2021 and backed by Vlaams Belang, the French Rassemblement National ("National Rally") and the Dutch PVV, is hoping to win its first seat in the elections.

But the nationalist party is struggling to attract votes. In the latest polls, Chez Nous is classified in the "others" category, which altogether accounts for 10.4 percent of voting intentions in Brussels and Wallonia.

In a poll last year, the party accounted for a meagre 0.3 percent.

Independence, immigration and the "Great Replacement"

Although Vlaams Belang presents itself as a patriotic, radical, nationalist right-wing party, "it can clearly be described as an extreme right-wing party, and always has been", said Benjamin Biard, PhD in political science and research fellow at the Belgium Research and Sociopolitical Information Centre (Centre de recherche et d'information socio-politiques).

The top items on Vlaams Belang's agenda are the break-up of the country and the establishment of a Flemish republic with heavy restrictions on migration. The party seeks to stop immigration and tighten the conditions on granting Belgian nationality, as well as abolishing the parole system.

Vlaams Belang’s discourse "contributes to stigmatising either foreigners or Islam and people of the Muslim faith", said Biard, who is also a professor at the Catholic University of Louvain.

The party, which portrays itself as anti-establishment, aims to "create a divide between the people and the political, economic, cultural and even media elites", he added.

"Many people vote for this party not so much for its agenda, but because it signals a break with other parties," he said.

Other voters, however, are drawn to the ideas touted by Vlaams Belang. A recent poll showed that migration was still the number-one concern among Flemish people.

"Most voters turn to this party because they feel it is best placed to address this issue", Biard said.

Despite its 2004 condemnation, Vlaams Belang has espoused the far-right conspiracy theory of the "Great Replacement ", which it refers to by the Dutch term "omvolking" (a Nazi ideological term meaning "repopulation"), in reference to an alleged gradual replacement of "native" Europeans by non-European immigrants, mainly from Muslim countries.

Last year, the party invited French writer Renaud Camus, who developed the conspiracy, to give a lecture on "mass immigration" and "the Great Replacement" at the Flemish Parliament.

"It's a party that has very clearly adopted this theory and uses it a lot in its campaign", Biard said.

Vlaams Belang's campaign has largely played out on social media, targeting young people first and foremost. Belgium, where voting is mandatory, has recently lowered the voting age for the upcoming European elections to 16 – effectively creating an additional 270,000 eligible voters.

“Vlaams Belang has a younger electorate than the average for all the other parties combined," Biard said.

A recent poll by the Flemish High School PXL and TV Limburg showed that 24.9 percent of Flemish first-time voters intend to vote for Vlaams Belang, ahead of both the Flemish green party "Groen" and the nationalist N-VA.

According to the survey, friends and social media play a decisive role in young people’s voting behaviour – a detail that Vlaams Belang has not overlooked.

In 2023, the party spent 1.7 million euros to advertise on Meta (Facebook and Instagram), according to the latest AdLens report.

Difficult footing in Wallonia and Brussels

In Wallonia, Chez Nous is the third-most "influential" political account on social networks, at least measured in the reactions it generates.

Yet the far-right Walloon party, founded less than three years ago, is struggling to establish itself in the polls.

Apart the party's lack of maturity, Chez Nous remains on the sidelines partly due to the region’s different priorities.

"The Walloons are primarily concerned with socio-economic issues, purchasing power and the healthcare system", Biard said, adding that Wallonia has a relatively high unemployment rate (8 percent in the fourth quarter of 2023) compared with Flanders, which boasts of near-full employment (3.5 percent).

The political and media "cordon sanitaire" is another key factor.

Introduced in two stages in 1989 and 1992 among Flemish political parties, this particular agreement in Belgium is aimed at preventing far-right political parties from forming any political majority or coalition government by refusing to cooperate or even hold talks with them.

This precaution has also been extended to the media in French-speaking regions in Belgium – not the case in Flanders – meaning that the main media outlets there neither receive nor interview representatives from far-right parties.

Civil society is also very active in blocking the far right: anti-fascist activists regularly try to prevent Chez Nous meetings from taking place by obstructing events or calling on local authorities to ban them.

In addition to these external factors, internal discord also prevents Chez Nous from gaining ground, Biard said, highlighting what he described as "internal tensions within the party and difficulty in finding a charismatic leader".

Biard also noted a "weak sense of national identity” in French-speaking Belgium, which contributes to Chez Nous’s unpopularity.

As one of Chez Nous's backers, Vlaams Belang has agreed not to submit an electoral list in Walloon constituencies in order to avoid splitting the vote.

In exchange, Chez Nous leaves the field open to Vlaams Belang in the Brussels region, where the Flemish party is credited with 3 percent of voting intentions, far behind the Mouvement Réformateur (21.8 percent), according to the latest polls.
Gaining ground in the European Parliament

In the European Parliament, where Belgium has 21 seats – it will gain one more in the next elections – the far right currently holds three: Gerolf Annemans, Filip de Man and Tom Vandendriessche, all three members of Vlaams Belang.

"That's not bad if you consider that not all seats go to the Flemish constituency," Biard said. Only 10 out of the 21 seats go to representatives of the Flanders region.

The three Vlaams Belang MEPs belong to the Identity and Democracy (ID) group, formerly known as Europe of Nations and Freedoms (ENL), which the Flemish party co-founded alongside the former French Front National, the Italian Northern League, the Austrian FPÖ and the Dutch PVV.

Unlike the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group, which is composed of more disparate right-wing and far-right parties, including members of Fratelli d'Italia, Reconquête, Greek Solution and N-VA, the ID group consists only of clearly identified ultranationalist and far-right parties.

Given the number of seats allocated to Belgium and the proportional representation system that favors vote splitting, Vlaams Belang is likely to retain a minimum of three seats, Biard said, adding that the party may even hope to win a fourth.

Despite the relatively small number (compared with a total of 750 lawmakers), acquiring a fourth seat in the European parliament would show that the far right has the potential to gain more influence in the EU and in Belgium, Biard said.

Far from being an isolated case, the rise of Vlaams Belang reflects broader trends within the far right across Europe, from the Netherlands to Italy, Hungary, Finland and Bulgaria.

Polls predicting European election results show far-right parties taking first place in at least nine EU member states, and second or third place in nine others.

This article has been translated from the original in French.

Denmark launches its biggest offshore wind farm tender


By AFP
April 22, 2024

Denmark's offshore wind parks currently generate 2.7 gigawatts of electricity

 - Copyright AFP GUILLERMO SALGADO

The Danish Energy Agency on Monday launched its biggest tender for the construction of offshore wind farms, aimed at producing six gigawatts by 2030 — more than double Denmark’s current capacity.

Offshore wind is one of the major sources of green energy that Europe is counting on to decarbonise electricity production and reach its 2050 target of net zero carbon production, but it remains far off the pace needed to hit its targets.

Denmark’s offshore wind parks currently generate 2.7 gigawatts of electricity, with another one GW due in 2027.

The tender covers six sites in four zones in Danish waters: North Sea I, Kattegat, Kriegers Flak II and Hesselo.

“We are pleased that we can now offer the largest offshore wind tender in Denmark to date. This is a massive investment in the green transition,” Kristoffer Bottzauw, head of the Danish Energy Agency, said in a statement.

Investment in offshore wind plummeted in Europe in 2022 due to supply chain problems, high interest rates and a jump in prices of raw materials, before bouncing back in 2023.

A record 4.2 gigawatts was installed in Europe last year, when a record 30 billion euros in new projects were approved, the trade association WindEurope said in January.

It said it was optimistic about the future of offshore wind in Europe, expecting new offshore wind capacity of around five gigawatts per year for the next three years.

However, it noted that that was still far short of what is needed if Europe wants to hit its 2030 target of 111 gigawatts of offshore wind installed capacity, with less than 20 gigawatts installed at the end of 2023.

N. Korea animators may have worked on Amazon, Max cartoons: report

By AFP
April 22, 2024

Pyongyang is under multiple international sanctions over its banned nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs, and human rights abuses 

- Copyright AFP/File Ed JONES

North Korean animators appear to have worked on upcoming Amazon and Max cartoons, without the knowledge of either US-based Hollywood studio and in violation of sanctions against Pyongyang, a new report has found.

The respected North Korea tracking website 38 North found evidence that animators from the isolated country may have been outsourced by third parties to provide images for Amazon Prime Video series “Invincible,” and the Max streaming service’s superhero anime “Iyanu, Child of Wonder.”

Pyongyang is under multiple international sanctions over its banned nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs, and human rights abuses.

North Korea has a well-established animation industry, on which it has relied in the past for much-needed revenue. Its giant government-run cartoon producer, SEK Studio, was specifically placed under US sanctions in 2021.

But 38 North earlier this year observed a North Korea-based internet cloud storage server onto which images related to multiple Western shows, instructions for animators, and feedback on their work, were uploaded daily.

“There is no evidence to suggest that the companies identified in the images had any knowledge that a part of their project had been subcontracted to North Korean animators,” said the report.

The evidence highlights “the difficulty in enforcing current US sanctions in such a global industry” and “the need for US animation companies to be much better informed about all the companies that are involved in their projects,” it said.

Amazon Studios did not respond to AFP request for comment.

Max, the streaming service formerly called HBO Max and owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, declined to comment.

A source familiar with the “Iyanu” project told AFP that a South Korean animation studio had been hired to work on the anime, but was no longer involved, after suspicions emerged that it was outsourcing some of the work.

North Korea has long had a significant animated film industry. For decades the country used cartoons to imbue its own children with socialist ethics.

Foreign cartoons such as “Tom and Jerry” have also been screened in the country.

In the early 21st century, and prior to today’s sanction regime, SEK Studio — formally known as the April 26 Children’s Film Production House — counted studios in France, Italy and China among its major clients.

SEK Studio is believed to have been subcontracted work related to Disney’s “Lion King” and “Pocahontas” titles in the past.

North Korea relies on thousands of highly skilled IT workers around the world to earn revenue for the impoverished nation, according to a recent US government advisory.

They hide, disguise or misrepresent their identities in order to obtain freelance contracts and payments, in violation of sanctions, and are also linked to cyberattacks, it said.

US companies are encouraged to carefully verify the resumes and identities of freelancers, including the use of fingerprint or biometric log-in data.

Taiwan hit by numerous quakes, strongest reaching 6.3 magnitude

By AFP
April 22, 2024

Taiwan's eastern Hualien region was also the epicentre of a magnitude-7.4 quake in April 3, which caused landslides around the mountainous region

- Copyright AFP I-Hwa CHENG

Taiwan’s capital was hit by a series of earthquakes overnight into the early hours of Tuesday, with the Central Weather Administration saying the strongest was a magnitude-6.3 tremor originating in eastern Hualien.

The first strong quake — a magnitude 5.5 — hit on Monday at around 5:08 pm (0908 GMT), according to Central Weather Administration. It could be felt in the capital Taipei.

That was followed by a series of aftershocks and quakes, with two intense tremors hitting one after another around 2:30 am (1830 GMT) Tuesday, according to AFP reporters and witnesses in Taipei.

“I was washing my hands, and suddenly felt what I thought was vertigo,” Olivier Bonifacio, a tourist staying in Taipei’s Da’an district, told AFP.

“I stepped into my room and noticed the building was rocking and I heard the desk creak,” he said, adding that it was then he realised it was another aftershock.

The Central Weather Administration said a magnitude-6.0 quake had hit at 2:26 am, followed six minutes later by a magnitude-6.3 one.

The US Geological Survey put the first one at a magnitude-6.1, followed by a magnitude-6.0.

Through Monday, AFP reporters could feel their buildings swaying during intense quakes, while one said “glass panels of bathroom and windows were making noises” as the island shuddered.

The Hualien region was the epicentre of a magnitude-7.4 quake that hit on April 3, causing landslides that blocked off roads around the mountainous region, while buildings in the main Hualien city were badly damaged.

At least 17 were killed in that quake, with the latest body found in a quarry on April 13.

Early Tuesday, Hualien’s fire department said that teams were dispatched to inspect any disaster from the new quakes.

At 2:54 am, they released a statement saying no casualties had been reported yet.

Taiwan sees frequent earthquakes as it is located at the junction of two tectonic plates.

The April 3 quake was followed by hundreds of aftershocks, which caused rockfalls around Hualien.

It was the most serious in Taiwan since 1999, when a magnitude-7.6 quake hit the island. The death toll then was far higher, with 2,400 people killed in the deadliest natural disaster in the island’s history.

Stricter building regulations — including enhanced seismic requirements in its building codes — and widespread public disaster awareness appeared to have staved off a more serious catastrophe in the April 3 quake.