CLIMATE CRISIS

Torrential rains have claimed more than 150 lives in China in the past 2 months

Associated Press
Updated Mon, August 5, 2024 



In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, rescuers work in the aftermath of flash floods in Ridi Village, Kangding City, Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in southwestern China's Sichuan Province on Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024

(Liu Kun/Xinhua via AP)


BEIJING (AP) — Landslides and flooding have killed more than 150 people around China in the past two months as torrential rainstorms batter the region.

The search was ongoing Monday for victims of a flood and mudslide in a mountainous Tibetan area in Sichuan province that left nine people dead and 18 others unaccounted for, state media said.

The early Saturday morning disaster destroyed homes and killed at least seven people in the village of Ridi, state broadcaster CCTV said in an online report. Two more people died after a nearby bridge between two tunnels collapsed and four vehicles plummeted.


China is in the middle of its peak flood season, which runs from mid-July to mid-August, and Chinese policymakers have repeatedly warned that the government needs to step up disaster preparations as severe weather becomes more common.

An annual government report on climate said last month that historical data shows the frequency of both extreme precipitation and heat has risen in China, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

A heat warning was in effect Monday in parts of eastern China, where temperatures were expected to top 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) in several cities including Nanjing, and 37 C (98 F) in nearby Shanghai on the coast.

There have been a series of deadly rainstorms since June.

Days of intense rain from the aftermath of Typhoon Gaemi, which weakened to a tropical storm after making landfall in China about 10 days ago, killed at least 48 people in Hunan province and left 35 others missing last week.

Authorities said Friday that the death toll from an earlier storm in July that knocked out a section of a bridge in Shaanxi province in the middle of the night had risen to 38 people, with another 24 still missing. At least 25 cars fell into a raging river that washed some of them far downstream.

In mid-June, at least 47 died from flooding and mudslides after extremely heavy rain in Guangzhou province. Six more people died in neighboring Fujian province.

Intense rains have also taken hundreds of lives elsewhere in Asia this summer, including devastating landslides that killed more than 200 people in south India last week.

The remnants of Typhoon Gaemi also drenched northeastern China and North Korea, overflowing the Yalu River that divides them and inundating cities, towns and farmland.

Taiwan is making a TV show about a Chinese invasion. And it’s hitting close to home

Nectar Gan and Eric Cheung, CNN
Sun, August 4, 2024 at 7:30 PM MDT·9 min read

Following a military blockade, panic and chaos rip through a besieged island: residents scramble to withdraw cash, foreign nationals rush to be evacuated, riots break out in prisons and television networks are hacked into broadcasting enemy propaganda.

These fictitious scenes have stirred emotion and imagination in Taiwan over what an imminent Chinese invasion may look like, since their release last month in a trailer for “Zero Day,” a forthcoming Taiwanese television series.

The 10-part show is the first in Taiwan to dramatize a possible invasion by China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA). That threat has loomed over the self-governing island for decades but is now gaining pace as a more powerful and aggressive China ruled by the Communist Party increasingly flexes its military might, pushing tensions to new heights.

The 17-minute trailer hit close to home in Taiwan, making headlines in local media and garnering more than a million views on YouTube.

“As a 21-year-old, I almost burst into tears when I watched it. Every scene in those 17 minutes felt so close to us. Maybe one day in the future, these scenarios will become the reality around us,” said a top comment with more than a thousand upvotes.

But the show also attracted criticism, including from opposition politicians, who said it created panic and exaggerated the crisis.

The specter of war is nothing new for Taiwan, a progressive democracy living in the shadow of authoritarian China, which views the island as its own territory and has vowed to seize it by force if necessary.

Many of Taiwan’s 23 million people have grown used to Beijing’s military threats, even as they become more regular and prominent under Xi Jinping, China’s strongman leader.

But Hsin-mei Cheng, the showrunner of “Zero Day,” worried that her fellow Taiwan citizens have grown “too numb” to the danger of an impending conflict.

“Frankly, everyone has their own fears and imaginations about the war, but in our daily lives, many avoid it or even pretend it doesn’t exist,” the journalist-turned-screenwriter told CNN.

“But as the crisis looms larger over the past two years, I think it’s about time we take a hard look at it and open this Pandora’s box,” she said.

Hsin-mei Cheng, the showrunner of "Zero Day," says she hopes the show can serve as a wakeup call to the people of Taiwan. - Courtesy Hsin-Mei Cheng

A first in Taiwan

In late 2022, more than half a year into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and months after former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taipei prompted a massive show of force from Beijing, Cheng decided to turn China’s threats against Taiwan into a TV drama.

It was an unprecedented project in an industry that had traditionally shunned sensitive political topics, Cheng said, but she found no shortage of like-minded partners along the way.

Robert Tsao, a chip tycoon and one of Taiwan’s richest men, became the show’s first major investor. The tech billionaire who founded Taiwan’s first semiconductor company, UMC, has previously warned of China’s threat and donated tens of millions of dollars to help Taiwan bolster its defense.

Cheng also assembled a team of 10 directors, each responsible for an episode in “Zero Day” that tells an independent story. Her main criterion for picking the crew: not afraid of being banned by China.

The vast Chinese market of 1.4 billion people has long been a draw for Taiwan’s actors and directors. But as tension rises across the strait, Taiwanese artists are increasingly faced with a choice between vocally toeing Beijing’s political line or being blocked from its lucrative market.

“The existence of this series shows that there are investors and talents who are willing to resist China’s aggression, and there’s a market for them,” said Lo Ging-zim, who directed the show’s trailer and one of the episodes.

“We are all worried and anxious about Taiwan’s present and future, and we hope to contribute what we can with our own skills.”

The crew films a scene inside Taiwan's Presidential Office Building. - Courtesy Howard Yu

Taiwan’s government and its military were supportive of the series, too.

The Presidential Office allowed the show to film on its premises, including a room where the president delivers addresses. And with the military’s approval, the production crew shot scenes aboard a warship during its routine drills.

Getting the authorities on board wasn’t easy.

“It took a lot of communication and persuasion at first,” Cheng said. But the officials understood the importance of the issue at stake and the power of films and TV shows in shaping public perception, she added. “Eventually, they decided it could be a good thing if someone makes a TV series about it.”

The show also received funding from Taiwan’s Ministry of Culture. But Lo, the director, stressed it was part of a broader program to support the island’s film and TV industries.

Neither the funding nor the access for filming gives the government any right to interfere with the production, Lo said, adding that “not a single word of the script had been modified by the government.”

“This is not a political propaganda video or patriotic film,” he said.

That level of artistic and political freedom would be impossible in mainland China and even in the city of Hong Kong, which once boasted a comparatively free and outspoken film industry that has been tamed in recent years as part of a wider crackdown.

Some Hong Kong artists have since moved to Taiwan, including Chapman To, who is starring in “Zero Day.” A vocal supporter of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement, To became a naturalized Taiwanese citizen in 2022.

The shooting of “Zero Day”, which started in March, is expected to be wrapped up by the end of November and the show is planned for broadcast in Taiwan next year.

The production team is also in touch with streaming services including Netflix for a potential international release, though discussions are still in the early stages, Lo said.

"Zero Day" crew shoots a scene abroad a Taiwanese warship. - Courtesy Howard Yu
‘Red infiltration’

Most of the series takes place in the week-long countdown to “Zero Day” – the day of the fictional attack.

It starts with Beijing imposing a naval and aerial blockade on Taiwan, under the pretext of search and rescue for a PLA aircraft that “vanished” near the island. In the final episode, Chinese soldiers make landing in Kinmen, a frontline island controlled by Taiwan.

Cheng noted the show doesn’t feature many bloody scenes of military combat – instead, much of the focus is placed on “red infiltration” by China’s ruling Communist Party.

“For me, the war has already begun in Taiwan. It is not being fought through guns and cannons, but through information and infiltration. It’s permeating our daily lives,” she said.

Taiwan officials have increasingly warned against China’s cognitive warfare operations, including disinformation campaigns to sway public opinion.

In “Zero Day,” Chinese infiltration and cognitive warfare takes on many forms – from the lure of money and power to the threat of violence.

In the trailer, a Taiwanese influencer casually encourages her fans to give up the fight and endorse a “peace agreement” with Beijing while livestreaming herself savoring an ice cream; elsewhere, a group of felons walk free from prison and instigate unrest, attacking those who refuse “unification.”

Neither of these scenarios are unimaginable. Thanks to the island’s free speech protections, which were hard won after decades of martial law rule, it is not unusual to see Taiwanese celebrities and influencers parroting Beijing’s talking points. Meanwhile, Taiwan authorities have long publicly accused certain organized crime groups of spreading pro-Chinese Communist Party influence.

In another chilling scene in the trailer, the president’s emergency address to Taiwan is hacked during a live broadcast, with an AI deepfake declaring war on China. Then, television screens across the island abruptly cut to a newscast on Chinese state TV. With an eerie smile, an anchor in a pink suit announces, “the PLA promises all Taiwanese compatriots will be fully protected” and urges them to report any “pro-independence forces” in hiding.

A scene from the trailer of "Zero Day" shows pro-Beijing supporters hanging up banners calling for unification. - Courtesy Howard Yu

Su Tzu-yun, a military expert at Taiwan’s Institute for National Defense and Security Research who has served as an adviser to “Zero Day,” said the series would be “an important force in countering China’s ‘gray zone tactics’” – or actions just below what might be considered acts of war.

“In the face of fear, people can build up confidence, and this can indirectly and partially offset China’s influence warfare.” he said. “At the same time, when this film is shown on international streaming platforms, viewers around the world can learn about Taiwan from a new perspective,” he added.

The teaser has drawn praise as well as criticism.

Some blamed the series for creating panic. Lee Yen-hsiu, a member of parliament from the opposition Kuomintang party – which in recent decades has pushed for closer ties with China – accused the show of exaggerating the threat of war and further deterring international tourists from visiting Taiwan.

Others accused the trailer of making the Taiwan government look too feeble in the face of aggression from China – which has a military, population and economy that dwarfs Taiwan’s.

Lo, the director, said the government’s capability and Taiwan’s social cohesion were deliberately weakened in the show to highlight the power of Chinese infiltration – and alert Taiwanese people to be more vigilant in real life.

“We want to explore what part of humanity will show up in such a state – would it be fragility, fear and greed or courage and empathy?” he said.

“I believe every Taiwanese person has their own version of Zero Day attack in their mind. We were just the first to make it into a series.”

Cheng didn’t mind the mixed reaction.

“We all think it’s a good thing. As long as the show generates attention and discussion, it means that it resonates with something in people’s hearts,” she said.

Cheng said she didn’t want the show to cause division in Taiwan. During the production process, the crew tried to search for a common denominator that could represent the aspirations of all Taiwanese people.

They found an answer and placed it in the trailer – in the form of a line in the presidential address – “We will always believe, without choices, there’s no freedom. Without freedom, there’s no Taiwan.”

“I hope the show can serve as a wakeup call to the Taiwanese people: what should we do when we still have the right to choose?” Cheng said.

Thousands of Moroccans protest after Hamas leader's killing

AFP
Sat, August 3, 2024

Thousands gathered in the Moroccan capital Rabat to protest the killing of Ismail Haniyeh and the war in Gaza (FADEL SENNA)

Thousands of Moroccans protested in Rabat on Saturday in support of Palestinians and to condemn normalisation with Israel, holding portraits of killed Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, AFP journalists reported.

Hamas called for a "day of rage" on Friday for the burial of its chief Ismail Haniyeh, killed two days earlier in a strike in Iran which the Islamist movement and Tehran have blamed on Israel.

Waving Palestinian flags, and brandishing pictures of Haniyeh and a cardboard coffin adorned with his image, thousands of people marched to the parliament building with black and white keffiyeh scarves, which are symbols of the Palestinian cause, draped across their shoulders.

"Greetings from Rabat to our Gazan friends and to the Al-Qassam (Brigades)", the crowd chanted, referring to the armed wing of Hamas.

"The people want the end of normalisation", they also chanted, a message also carried on their placards, the AFP journalists reported.

Some in the crowd burnt an Israeli flag, the journalists saw.

"Ismail Haniyeh was a leader of Palestine, he is a symbol that motivates us to protest," Halima Hilali, 64, told AFP.

The war in Gaza "is a shame for humanity" she added.

Nabil Nasseri, 42, who travelled from the neighbouring city of Sale, said, "Demonstrating is the least we can do to help our Palestinian brothers, I think all Muslims should do it".

"We cannot have relations with a group of criminals, we want the end of relations" with Israel, he added.

The rally was organised by the National Action Group for Palestine, which brings together leftist groups and the Islamist Justice and Development Party.

Since the beginning of the Gaza war on October 7, sparked by an unprecedented Hamas-led attack on southern Israel, several large demonstrations have taken place in Morocco calling for the end of normalisation, while open opposition to diplomatic ties had previously been limited.

Morocco established official ties in Israel in 2020 as part of the US-led Abraham Accords.

The North African kingdom has officially called for "the immediate, complete and permanent halt to the Israeli war on Gaza", but has not publicly discussed undoing normalisation.

Hamas and Tehran have promised to avenge the death of Haniyeh, who was in Iran for the inauguration of the country's new president, raising fears of a flare-up in the region amid the war in the Gaza Strip.

cgo/fka/srk/dcp

Mali severs diplomatic relations with Ukraine for providing intelligence to rebels for Wagner ambush

AnneClaire Stapleton and Mitch McCluskey, CNN
Sun, August 4, 2024



Mali has severed diplomatic ties with Ukraine after the country supplied intelligence to Malian rebels involved in an ambush against Wagner Group forces in July.

“The transitional government of the Republic of Mali condemns the hostility of the authorities of Ukraine who do not observe that Mali has always called for a peaceful settlement of the crisis between the Russian Federation and Ukraine,” government spokesman Colonel Abdoulaye Maiga said in a televised statement on Sunday.

Andriy Yusov, a representative of Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU), previously said Kyiv had provided the militants with intelligence for the attack, saying on Ukrainian television in late July that “the rebels received necessary information, which enabled a successful military operation against Russian war criminals.”


The attack was claimed by a Tuareg rebels group along with the al Qaeda affiliate in the Sahel, JNIM (Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin). Known for ad hoc cooperation, they appear to have collaborated to trap the Russian convoy.

After the attack, JNIM claimed that a “complex ambush” had wiped out the convoy, killing 50 Russians and several Malian soldiers, and published videos showing several vehicles ablaze as well as dozens of bodies in the area. A Tuareg militant group spokesman said some Malian troops and Russian fighters had also been captured during the battle.

According to some unofficial Russian Telegram channels, as many as 80 Russians were killed. That would make it by far the worst loss for Russian paramilitaries in several years of operating in Africa, as the Kremlin has sought to use proxy forces to challenge Western influence across the Sahel and central Africa and prop up unstable regimes.

Previous reporting contributed by CNN’s Tim Lister, Avery Schmitz and Darya Tarasova.


Russians pay homage to Wagner fighters killed in MaliReuters
Sun, August 4, 2024 







People in Moscow pay tribute to Wagner mercenaries killed in Mali

MOSCOW (Reuters) - In the shadow of the Kremlin, more than 70 Russians paid homage on Sunday to Wagner fighters killed in a major battle with Mali rebels and Islamist fighters, one of the mercenary group's most deadly defeats in Africa.

The Wagner mercenary group said last month its fighters and Malian soldiers had taken losses in heavy fighting against Tuareg rebels and Islamist fighters from an al Qaeda affiliate near Mali's border with Algeria.

Mali's northern Tuareg rebels said they had killed at least 84 Russian Wagner mercenaries and 47 Malian soldiers during days of fierce fighting in late July.

In Moscow, just a few hundred metres from the Kremlin, dozens of Russians came to mourn the fallen Wagner fighters, a Reuters journalist said.

One man, dressed in military clothing and wearing Wagner badges, kneeled before pictures of the group's fighters killed in Mali.

Beneath flags with the Wagner motto of "Blood, Honor, Motherland, Courage", some lit candles. One woman on knees wept before a picture of a Wagner fighter. Others laid red carnations below pictures of the dead.

None of those asked for comment at the makeshift memorial would speak to Reuters.

Mali, where military authorities seized power in coups in 2020 and 2021, is battling a years-long Islamist insurgency. It has said Russian forces there are not Wagner mercenaries but trainers helping local troops with equipment bought from Russia.

(Writing by Guy Faulconbridge; Editing by David Holmes)

POSTMODERN COLD WAR II

Spanish journalist or Russian spy? 

The mystery around Pablo González's double life

VANESSA GERA
Updated Sun, August 4, 2024 

A man identified as Pablo González, a freelance journalist from Spain who had been based in Poland since 2019, second from left with shaved head, listens to Russian President Vladimir Putin, back to a camera, speaking to released Russian prisoners, part of the biggest prisoner swap between the United States and Russia in post-Soviet history, upon their arrival at the Vnukovo government airport outside Moscow, Russia, on Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024. Gonzalez had another passport and another name: Pavel Rubtsov. (Gavriil Grigorov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)More


WARSAW, Poland (AP) — When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, reporters from around the world rushed to the Polish-Ukrainian border to cover an exodus of refugees fleeing Russian bombs.

Among them was Pablo González, a freelance journalist from Spain who had been based in Poland since 2019, working for Spanish news agency EFE, Voice of America and other outlets. Warsaw-based reporters knew him as an outgoing colleague who liked to drink beer and sing karaoke into the wee hours of the morning.

Two and a half years later, he was sent to Moscow as part of a prisoner swap, leaving behind both mysteries about who he really was and concerns about how Poland handled a case in which he was accused of being a Russian agent.

In the first days of the war, González provided stand-up reports to TV viewers in Spain against a backdrop of refugees arriving at the train station in the Polish border town of Przemysl.

But less than week into the war, Polish security agents entered the room he was staying in and arrested him. They accused him of “participating in foreign intelligence activities against Poland” and said he was an agent of the GRU, Russian military intelligence.

Friends were astonished — and, as Poland held González without trial for months that turned into years, some grew skeptical and organized protests in Spain demanding his release. Authorities have never detailed the accusations.

But on Thursday evening, the burly 42-year-old with a shaved head and beard was welcomed home by President Vladimir Putin after being freed in the largest prisoner swap since the Soviet era.

His inclusion in the deal appears to confirm suspicions that González was a Russian operative using his cover as a journalist.

Born Pavel Rubtsov in 1982 in then-Soviet Moscow, González went to Spain with his Spanish mother at age 9, where he became a citizen and received the Spanish name of Pablo González Yagüe. He went into journalism, working for outlets Público, La Sexta and Gara, a Basque nationalist newspaper.

It's not clear what led Poland to arrest him. The investigation remains classified and the spokesman for the secret services told The Associated Press that he could not say anything beyond what was in a brief statement. Poland is on high alert after a string of arrests of espionage suspects and sabotage, part of what the authorities view as hybrid warfare by Russia and Belarus against the West.

Polish security services said Poland included him in the deal due to the close Polish-American alliance and “common security interests.” In their statement, they said that "Pavel Rubtsov, a GRU officer arrested in Poland in 2022, (had been) carrying out intelligence tasks in Europe.”

The head of Britain’s foreign intelligence agency MI6, Sir Richard Moore, said at the Aspen Security Forum in 2022 that González was an “illegal” who was arrested in Poland after “masquerading as a Spanish journalist.”

The term “illegal” refers to spies who operate under non-official cover, meaning that they don't benefit from diplomatic immunity.

“He was trying to go into Ukraine to be part of their destabilizing efforts there,” Moore said.

Another hint at his activities came from independent Russian outlet Agentstvo, which reported that in 2016 Rubtsov befriended and spied on Zhanna Nemtsova, the daughter of Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, who was murdered in Moscow in 2015.

Poland-based journalists who knew González said he used his base in Poland to travel to former Soviet countries including Ukraine and Georgia. He had a license to operate a drone and used it to film Auschwitz-Birkenau from the air for coverage on the 75th anniversary of the death camp's liberation in 2020.

Voice of America, a U.S.-government funded organization, confirmed that he worked briefly for them, but they have since removed any of his work from their website.

“Pablo González contributed to a few VOA stories as a freelancer over a relatively short period of time starting in late 2020," spokesperson Emily Webb said in reply to an emailed query. "As a freelancer who provided content to a number of media outlets, his services were arranged through a third-party company used by news organizations around the world."

“At no time did he have any access to any VOA systems or VOA credentials,” Webb said. "As soon as VOA learned of the allegations, we removed his material.”

Because Poland's justice system was politicized under a populist government that ruled from 2015-23, some activists worried about whether his rights were respected. Reporters Without Borders was among the groups that called for him to be put on trial or released.

The group stands by its position that he should not have been held that long without trial. “You are innocent until a trial proves you guilty,” Alfonso Bauluz, the head of the group's office in Spain told AP on Friday. He expressed frustration at the silence around the case, and the fact that there will apparently not be a trial at all, saying Poland has not presented the evidence it has against him.

But the group also says it expects González to provide an explanation now that he is free.

Jaap Arriens, a Dutch video journalist based in Warsaw, hung out with the man he knew as Pablo in Warsaw and Kyiv, as well as in Przemysl shortly before his arrest.

Arriens described him as a friendly, funny man with a macho demeanor and a chest covered in tattoos that he once showed off in a bar.

González mostly fit in, but seemed better-off than the average freelance journalist. He always seemed to have the newest and most expensive phones and computers, working at the Poland-Ukraine border with the latest 14-inch MacBook Pro. He had plenty of money to spend in bars.

He recalled González once saying: “Life is good, life is almost too good.”

"And I thought: ‘Man, freelance life is never too good. What are you talking about?’ I don't know any freelancer who talks like this.”

González, whose grandfather emigrated from Spain to the Soviet Union as a child during the Spanish Civil War, was known as a Basque nationalist with ties to the region's independence movement.

Russia is suspected of supporting separatist movements in Spain and elsewhere in an effort to destabilize Europe.

González's wife in Spain had been advocating on his behalf during his detention in Poland, even though they were not living together at the time of his arrest.

Over the past years, supporters ran an account on Twitter, now X, to advocate for his release.

When the Russian government announced that Pavel Rubtsov had arrived in Moscow on Thursday, the @FreePabloGonzález account tweeted: “This is our last tweet: Pablo is finally free. Endless thanks to all.”

Those who have followed the case are now awaiting his next moves.

He has Spanish citizenship — and the right to return to the European Union. His wife was quoted in Spanish media saying she hopes he can return to Spain.

Anti-Netanyahu protests erupt in Israel over delayed hostage deal

Lauren Izso, Jeremy Diamond and Mohammed Tawfeeq, CNN
Sat, August 3, 2024 

Anti-government rallies erupted in several cities across Israel this weekend, as tens of thousands of Israelis demanded that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu find a path to a deal with terror group Hamas, in order to free more than 100 hostages still held in Gaza.

The demonstrations – a regular occurrence – were notable for taking place despite urgent security warnings as Israel braces for a possible strike from Iran. Some form of military retaliation has been widely expected in the region following the unclaimed assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on Wednesday.

Despite the tense security situation, large crowds gathered to Begin Gate in Tel Aviv on Saturday to support the families of the hostages and to call for their release from captivity, according to protest organizers. Videos showed protestors waving Israeli flags and holding up signs with images of the Israeli hostages.


At the Begin gate of the Kirya IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv, people were heard chanting, “We’re not letting up; release the hostages.” Others shouted, “Stop the death, stop the bereavement, human lives above all!” Some protestors stood surrounded by barricades, symbolizing hostages who are reported to have been kept in cages.

There are currently 115 total hostages, living and dead, being held in Gaza, according to Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office and the Hostages and Missing Families Forum. Of that number, 111 hostages were taken during the October 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel, which killed over 1,200 people.

Israeli’s ensuing military offensive in the isolated Palestinian enclave has killed nearly 40,000 Palestinians and displaced nearly 2 million, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health and the United Nations.

‘Tell the public the truth’

Family members of captives held in Gaza have harshly criticized Netanyahu’s approach to the conflict, and are now demanding a public explanation for his government’s failure so far to negotiate a deal that would see the remaining Israeli hostages liberated.

In a statement released Saturday, an association representing the families accused the Israeli leader of choosing “to escalate the situation instead of securing a deal that would save lives.”

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid also posted a statement on Telegram calling on Israel’s security chiefs to “tell the public the truth,” writing: “If the government of Israel has given up on the hostages, it needs to be honest with the families and stop playing games.”

Anger and impatience over the slow pace of hostage releases from Gaza flared this week following a new report that Netanyahu clashed with top advisors on whether to accept a new hostage and ceasefire deal proposal, which the Israeli Prime Minister Office has rejected as “incorrect.”

Supporters and relatives of Israelis held hostage by Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip since October lift placards during a rally to demand their release in Tel Aviv on August 3, 2024. - Gil Cohen-Magen/AFP/Getty Images

Israel’s Channel 12 reported that, at a tense meeting of Israel’s security council on Wednesday night, senior officials had urged Netanyahu to take a hostage and ceasefire deal with Gaza militant group Hamas.

The report claimed that Mossad director David Barnea had said “there is a deal ready and that Israel must take it,” while Ronen Bar, the head of Israeli security agency Shin Bet, said it appeared to him the prime minister did not want the outline of the deal on the table.

Netanyahu reportedly banged on the table and said the team “don’t know how to conduct negotiations.”

Channel 12 did not cite its sources, and CNN has not independently confirmed the reporting.

The Prime Minister’s office refuted the characterization of the alleged exchange in a statement, and said that Netanyahu is committed to the hostages’ release. “The head of the Mossad did not say that there was a deal ready and that it should be accepted. The description that Hamas supposedly agreed to the terms of the deal is false…” it said.

Netanyahu’s office on Saturday released another statement accusing “leaks and false briefings in the media” of misleading the public, and blaming Hamas for hindering negotiations. “While Prime Minister Netanyahu agreed to the deal outline, Hamas has been trying to introduce dozens of changes that, de facto, nullify the outline,” the statement said.

CNN previously reported that Netanyahu was adding 11th hour demands to Israel’s most recent response to the ceasefire negotiations, including reneging on previous Israeli concessions.

Reporting contributed by CNN’s Eugenia Yosef and Larry Register.

High jumper Yaroslava Mahuchikh wins Ukraine's 1st individual gold of the Paris Olympics

andrew dampf
Sun, Aug 4, 2024
 

SAINT-DENIS, France (AP) — It was a night for war-torn Ukraine to rejoice.

Thousands of Ukrainians watched on YouTube as high jumper Yaroslava Mahuchikh won gold for the country she was forced to flee, then celebrated with two teammates who also medaled at the Paris Olympics on Sunday.

Iryna Gerashchenko shared bronze in the high jump and Mykhaylo Kokhan then claimed a bronze in the hammer throw, too — doubling Ukraine's Olympic medal haul from three to six in the span of about an hour.

“Medals are very important for Ukraine because the people are having a very happy time, and they can cheer us and they can celebrate this with us and not think about the war for one day,” Kokhan said.

Mahuchikh, who left her home due to the war with Russia, earned Ukraine’s first individual gold of these Summer Games, following a victory in women’s team saber fencing on Saturday.

She is from Dnipro, a city of nearly 1 million located only about 100 kilometers (60 miles) from the front lines of the war. When Russia invaded, she piled as much as she could into her car and left town quickly. On her way out, she heard gunfire and could, at times, see shells raining down miles away.

The next time she returns, it will be as an Olympic champion.

Once the medals were assured, Mahuchikh and Gerashchenko ran down the track waiving Ukrainian flags, prompting a standing ovation at the Stade de France.

Then, when the two high jumpers were given special permission to run over and embrace Kokhan, all three Ukrainian medalists posed together with their blue and yellow flags.

It wasn't all about celebrating, though. Mahuchikh also recalled the "almost 500 sportsman (who) died in this war.

“They will never compete. They will never celebrate. They will never feel this atmosphere," she said, adding that her gold medal is "really for all of them.”

Mahuchikh succeeds Tokyo gold medalist Maria Lasitskene, a Russian who — along with everyone else from her country — has been banned from track and field’s international events since the country invaded Ukraine.

Russian rockets and missiles constantly knock out Ukraine's power grid. But Gerashchenko said that the electricity was working on Sunday,

“Today we have internet, we have light and on the YouTube channel, around 160,000 people (watched) online,” she said.

Mahuchikh cleared 2.00 meters to finish ahead of Nicola Olyslagers of Australia, who also cleared 2.00 but then failed all three of her attempts at 2.02.

Eleanor Patterson of Australia and Gerashchenko shared the bronze at 1.95.

Mahuchikh considered jumping again and could have tried to break the world record of 2.10 that she set less than a month ago in another Paris stadium. But then she stopped and started celebrating.

Mahuchikh was asked why she didn't make any further attempts.

“Why not? I was Olympic champion,” she said.

Mahuchikh also gained curiosity for the way she lies down and wraps herself up in a type of sleeping bag between jumps. She said it helps her relax: “Sometimes I can watch the clouds...not think about that I’m at a stadium.”

Mahuchikh claimed the first Olympic gold of her career, adding to the bronze she won in Tokyo. She also won gold at last year’s world championships.

“It’s all medals for our country, Ukraine, for our defenders," she said. "Only thank(s) (to) them we have opportunity to be here.”

Gold medalist Yaroslava Mahuchikh, and bronze medalist Iryna Gerashchenko, both of Ukraine, celebrate after the the women's high jump final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
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US struggles to rally international opposition to Venezuelan election fraud

NO EVIDENCE OF FRAUD PRODUCED

Rafael Bernal
Sun, August 4, 2024 



Major global groups are finding it difficult to overtly condemn apparent fraud in Venezuela’s presidential election, with key member states instead playing defense for President Nicolás Maduro.

The Organization of American States (OAS) and the European Union top the list — both organizations were barreling toward full-throated censure of Maduro until the Venezuelan regime’s allies stepped in.

In Europe, Hungary’s authoritarian-friendly government blocked an EU statement expressing concerns about “flaws and irregularities” in the election.


Josep Borrell, the EU’s foreign policy chief, later released the statement under his own name.

Across the pond, Brazil, Mexico and Colombia, the three largest Latin American countries by population, led the push to give Maduro a pass.

“The irony of all this, obviously, is that Colombia, Mexico and Brazil, all those leaders were democratically elected, but yet they fail to somewhat apply those same democratic principles to another country, in this case, Venezuela,” said Eddy Acevedo, chief of staff and senior adviser at the Wilson Center.

The OAS Permanent Council failed to pass a resolution condemning Maduro on Wednesday, though 17 members voted in favor, 11 abstained — including Brazil and Colombia — and five delegations, including Mexico, skipped the session.

Though no members voted against the resolution, it required an absolute majority of 18 votes for approval.

The willingness of democratically elected governments to block or slow an international response highlights the regional influence of the authoritarian model spearheaded by Russia, China and Iran, but also a historical unwillingness to fall in line with the U.S.’s wishes.

“I think that it’s more than anything, not a hug or an embrace of Maduro, but an arm’s-length relationship that they maintain with the United States,” said Carl Meacham, a former senior staffer on Latin America for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Mexico, Brazil and Columbia all interact in different ways with global authoritarian regimes, including Russia, China and Iran.

“The defensive stance adopted by presidents of Colombia, Mexico, and Brazil can be interpreted as a reflection of their caution and the need to carefully manage their diplomatic relations and national interests. These countries are navigating a highly complex environment where statements regarding Venezuela have significant implications not only for their bilateral relations with the neighboring country but also for their positions within the regional and global context,” said political strategist Sergio José Gutiérrez.

Mexico’s closest relationships are commercial two-way streets, whether it’s through the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), or through growing direct Chinese investment in the country.

“China is using Mexico as a front because of USMCA, because of the supply chain stuff, [the Inflation Reduction Act], CHIPS Act, all that stuff. Now you have companies that are front companies for China that are popping up in Mexico trying to take advantage of these incentives that the U.S. has built in,” said Acevedo.

“So they’re doing it in a way that they’re masquerading themselves as, ‘No, no, we’re a Mexican company,’ but in reality, what’s behind it is the Chinese government. So they’re — they’re doing it on that end, more for, sort of economic and access perspectives.”

But Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, whose term ends on Oct. 1, has deeper political motivations to not fall in line behind the United States.

“Some of it has to do with the fact that Mexican foreign policy has just traditionally been one of nonintervention, and his intentions are to return to that type of posture. That’s one aspect of it. The other one is he has one month left in office, and I think his focus, his priorities, are trying to push forth legislative reforms, and he really doesn’t want to — or doesn’t need to — be spending much time on international matters and international affairs,” said Meacham.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva are closer to Maduro, both geographically and ideologically.

Yet both South American powers initially rebuked Maduro’s claim of victory last Sunday night, calling for the Venezuelan electoral authority to release the official tallies that were automatically generated by polling machines.

After dealing a major embarrassment to Maduro, days later they joined with Mexico, Bolivia and a grouping of Central American and Caribbean countries to turn the tables on the United States and the OAS itself.

“I think the situation is that the three countries were not ready yet to vote at the OAS resolution, because they still wanted to give diplomacy a chance, that ‘we’re working on this statement,’ right? So they’re trying to play both sides,” said Acevedo.

“I understand that logic. Why we would call for a vote and lose is just shameful. We should have had the vote. I mean, besides those three countries, there’s a lot of other countries on that list that abstained, that should have been with us.”

The State Department late Thursday dismissed the significance of the OAS vote by releasing a strongly worded statement signed by Secretary of State Antony Blinken saying official results were “deeply flawed” and crediting opposition candidate Edmundo González with a win, based on 80 percent of vote tally sheets obtained and published by the opposition.

“We congratulate Edmundo González Urrutia on his successful campaign. Now is the time for the Venezuelan parties to begin discussions on a respectful, peaceful transition in accordance with Venezuelan electoral law and the wishes of the Venezuelan people. We fully support the process of re-establishing democratic norms in Venezuela and stand ready to consider ways to bolster it jointly with our international partners,” wrote Blinken.

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), who has been building a bipartisan anti-Maduro coalition since the election, lauded Blinken’s statement, posting that it was “an important step in support of the Venezuelan people’s aspiration for freedom from tyranny.”

Rubio on Thursday paired up with Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) to lead a resolution condemning Maduro, another show of bipartisan opposition.

Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy (R), in a statement supporting the resolution, made the geopolitical case opposing Venezuela’s antidemocratic ambitions.

“This is a critical moment for our hemisphere. Do we have another 25 years of tyranny and repression just three hours from America? Do we allow the Russians, Chinese Communist Party, and drug cartels to use Venezuela as ground zero planning harm to the U.S. and allies in the hemisphere?” asked Cassidy in his statement.

That analysis is not far-fetched, and international support is part of what’s emboldening Maduro to persecute opposition leaders.

“I’m sure [Venezuelan officials] know that what they’re asking for and calling for is antidemocratic, and these are just — now the masks are off. You know, this guy needs to be referred to as what he is. He’s an autocrat. He’s a dictator. He has no regard for the international system or for democracy. That, I think, is what is starting to happen internationally,” said Meacham.

“But the issue is that this is being mixed into that larger, larger game now, the international power game is really how this is playing itself out now.”

Ironically, the toolkit for the United States and other democracies is at once the best weapon available against the spread of authoritarianism, and a major motivator of that spread.

“Fundamentally, a lot of these folks, they use each other to bypass the sanctions against them from the U.S. and the rest of the international community,” said Acevedo.

“So that’s why, when, for example, a lot of people say, ‘You know, sanctions don’t work.’ Well, what has happened now that we’re living in 2024 is that the bad guys have figured out that they can all sort of operate amongst themselves as a way to mitigate some of the sanctions.”

Maduro’s other ally is timing: The Venezuelan regime has often waited out massive protests, essentially tiring out the opposition to consolidate its power, legitimate or not.

That leaves the Biden administration a short window to impose whatever sanctions it deems most likely to benefit the same opposition that Blinken recognized as winners of Sunday’s election.

“There’s still a lot of leverage the U.S. has … One of the things that we have not been very good at is speed. Sometimes the U.S. does the right thing, but it takes them a lot to get there. And speed, when it comes to this kind of development, [where] things are happening quickly, speed is everything,” said Acevedo.

Former Trump administration official Kellyanne Conway registers as lobbyist for Ukrainian billionaire with past ties to Trump

SOO RIN KIM, LALEE IBSSA and KELSEY WALSH
Sun, August 4, 2024 

PHOTO: Former Trump counselor Kellyanne Conway speaks on stage on the third day of the Republican National Convention on July 17, 2024 in Milwaukee, Wis.

 (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Former Trump administration official Kellyanne Conway has registered as a foreign agent representing Ukrainian billionaire Victor Pinchuk's foundation, new foreign lobbying disclosure reports show.

In 2015, the Ukrainian steel magnate donated $150,000 to former President Donald Trump's charitable organization to book the then-presidential candidate to speak at a conference in Kyiv.

The donation was later reportedly investigated by special counsel Robert Mueller's team in connection with their probe into Trump's and his campaign's alleged role in Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, according to The New York Times. Mueller's final report did not specifically address this donation.

PHOTO: Ukrainian businessman Victor Pinchuk attends the 'Ukraine. Year 2024' forum on Feb. 25, 2024 in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Serhiy Morgunov/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images, FILE)


Conway is representing the U.K. office of the Victor Pinchuk Foundation, which the disclosure filings describe as a "registered, private, nonpartisan, philanthropic company limited by guarantee in the United Kingdom primarily focused on advancing artistic, scientific, charitable, benevolent, and philanthropic purposes in Ukraine or related to Ukraine."

According to the disclosure, Conway has been hired to influence American "political leaders," "lawmakers, experts and opinion makers" on a variety of issues related to Ukraine, including "making best efforts to convince" them to "attend the annual Yalta European Strategy meeting in Kiev on September 13 - 14," the disclosure filing states.

MORE: Trump Foundation Took Donations From Controversial Ukrainian Clinton Donor

Yalta European Strategy's annual gathering, also known as YES, is the same conference that Trump virtually attended in 2015 allegedly in exchange for Pinchuk's donation.

Conway's role as an agent for Pinchuk's foundation also includes engaging U.S. political leaders and experts to "explain the importance of Ukraine to the rules-based order and the protection of democratic principles," and contributing to "raising awareness among US decision makers of Ukrainians' fight for freedom and the Russian illegal war of aggression," according to the disclosure filing.

She is also tasked with assisting with organizing meetings between U.S. political leaders and Ukrainian soldiers and veterans, and to keep Pinchuk informed of the process and achievements, per the disclosure filing.

Conway is set to be paid $50,000 a month for her services throughout the contract, which runs from July 25 through Nov. 14, 2024, with an option to extend it, according to their service agreement.

ABC News has reached out to Conway.

MORE: Kellyanne Conway meets with Manhattan prosecutors investigating Trump

The $150,000 donation to Trump's foundation was one of many foreign payments Trump and his associates had received in the years leading up to the 2016 election that had been scrutinized by the special counsel's team, according to the New York Times.

In 2018, the Trump Organization turned over documents related to the $150,000 donation from Pinchuk, after investigators subpoenaed the Trump family business for an array of records about business with foreign nationals.

In 2019, Trump's former personal attorney Michael Cohen testified before the House Oversight Committee that the $150,000 donation was in lieu of Trump's speaking engagement at the conference.

Trump ended up making a 20-minute virtual appearance at the YES gathering in Kyiv in September 2015, where the then-presidential candidate praised Pinchuk, saying, "Victor is a very, very special man. A special entrepreneur."

During his virtual remarks at the 2015 YES gathering, Trump also attacked then-President Barack Obama for not doing enough to support Ukraine, saying, "Part of the problem we have with the Ukraine is that [Vladimir] Putin does not respect our president whatsoever. Putin does not respect our president."

Pinchuk's contribution to Trump's charity group was disclosed in 2016 as a part of the charity group's annual tax record. The Victor Pinchuk Foundation offices told ABC News at the time that the contribution was made to bolster its efforts to persuade Western governments to help protect the territorial integrity of Ukraine in the face of Russian incursions.

"The sole reason the Victor Pinchuk Foundation has reached out to President-elect Trump -- as well as other world leaders -- has been to promote strengthened and enduring ties between Ukraine and the West," a spokeswoman for the Pinchuk foundation said in an emailed response to questions in November 2016.

"Mr Pinchuk had met Mr Trump some years ago in New York, this is how the invitation for Mr Trump to speak at the YES meeting came about," the spokeswoman said at the time.

Pinchuk has also been a prolific donor to the Clinton Foundation, giving tens of millions of dollars to the group over the years, as well as reportedly lending his private plane to the Clintons.

ECODISASTER

Cambodia PM launches project linking Mekong river to sea via canal

Suy SE
Sun, 4 August 2024


Map showing the projected route of the Funan Techo canal in southern Cambodia. (John SAEKI)


Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Manet on Monday launched a controversial $1.7 billion canal project that aims to provide a new link from the Mekong River to the sea.

At a launch event in Prek Takeo, southeast of the capital Phnom Penh, Manet called the 180-kilometre (110-mile) project "historic", as fireworks shot into the air and drums sounded.

"We must build this canal at all costs," he said.

Once completed, the Funan Techo canal will run from a spot on the Mekong river, about an hour's drive southeast of Phnom Penh, to the sea in the Gulf of Thailand.

But the project comes shrouded in uncertainty, including its main purpose -- whether for shipping or irrigation -- who will fund it, and how it will affect the flow of the Mekong -- one of the world's longest rivers.

Conservationists have long warned that the river, which supports up to a quarter of the world's freshwater fish catch and half of Vietnam's rice production, is at risk from infrastructure projects, pollution, sand mining, and climate change.

Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, and Thailand are signatories to the 1995 Mekong River Agreement, which governs the distribution of the river's resources.

Cambodia has notified the Mekong River Commission (MRC) of its plans for the canal, but Vietnam wants more information about the project.

- 'Nose to breath through' -

Phnom Penh argues the project affects only a Mekong tributary and therefore requires only the notification it has already submitted.

The canal, one of former prime minister Hun Sun's signature infrastructure projects, is seen as a galvanising national undertaking to build support for his successor and son, Hun Manet.

Hun Sen, who ruled Cambodia for over three decades and who celebrated his birthday on Monday, has described the canal as giving the country a "nose to breathe through".

The government says the project will offer an alternative for container ships that currently cross into Vietnam before heading to the sea, allowing Cambodia to keep transport revenue in-country.

It says it is planning riverside economic zones along the route that it says could create tens of thousands of jobs for the country, which is among the poorest in Southeast Asia.

Last year, the China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC), a Chinese construction giant that has financed other infrastructure in Cambodia, agreed to a feasibility study of the project.

Cambodian officials have suggested the Chinese state-owned company could finance part of the canal, but CRBC has not released its study or made any public commitment.

While Cambodia is a close ally of Beijing, Hun Sen has denied the canal will be part of China's Belt and Road infrastructure plan.

suy-sah/srg/fox

Cambodia breaks ground on China-funded canal and says it will be built 'no matter the cost'

SOPHENG CHEANG and ANIRUDDHA GHOSAL
Mon, August 5, 2024

 

PREK TAKEO, Cambodia (AP) — Cambodia broke ground Monday on a controversial, China-funded canal to link the capital Phnom Penh to the sea, despite environmental concerns and the risk of straining ties with neighboring Vietnam.

The $1.7 billion, 180-kilometer (111 miles) Funan Techo canal is planned to connect the country’s capital with Kep province on Cambodia’s south coast, giving it access to the Gulf of Thailand. Cambodia hopes the 100-meter (328 feet)-wide, 5.4-meter (17.7 feet)-deep canal will lower the cost of shipping goods to the country's sole deep-sea port, Sihanoukville, and reduce reliance on Vietnamese ports.

The project highlights the outsized role that China plays in Cambodian politics and economy. Meanwhile, concerns remain about the potential environmental impacts of the canal, especially on the flow of the Mekong River, which feeds millions of people across six countries through its fish and the agriculture that it sustains.


The project has Vietnam worried, both about the effect on its Mekong Delta rice-growing and about Cambodia moving out of its orbit, said Nguyen Khac Giang, an analyst at Singapore’s ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute.

“There is a concern that most of the Cambodian exports might be diverted from the current route, crossing the Vietnamese border to Vietnamese ports and moving away from that to Cambodian ports,” he said.

But Hanoi has expressed its concerns quietly, if at all, Giang said. Given the "complex historical legacy" between Cambodia and Vietnam — despite strong bilateral ties, the two nations have a contentious relationship — Vietnam is reticent to openly criticize Cambodia lest it be seen as impinging on its neighbor's sovereignty, he said.

Analysts say that the infrastructure project is in part an effort by Cambodia’s ruling elite to invigorate support for Hun Manet, who last year took over the wheel of government from his father, Hun Sen, who led Cambodia for 38 years.

The government declared Monday — also Hun Sen’s birthday — a holiday so Cambodians could participate in the “celebration in a joyful, crowded and proud manner.” Thousands of people wearing t-shirts with photographs of the father and son began gathering at the canal site, that was covered in Cambodian flags. Billboards promoting the economic benefits of the canal dominated the countryside.

The canal will promote “national prestige, the territorial integrity and the development of Cambodia,” Manet said, adding that the country had built bigger and more expensive infrastructure projects before. But this “historic” canal was different and had nationwide support, he said.

“We will build this canal, no matter the cost,” he said.

He emphasized that while the canal would be jointly built by Chinese and Cambodian companies, the latter would have a 51% majority share and thus maintain control. Deputy Prime Minister Sun Chanthol confirmed that the Chinese state-owned construction giant China Road and Bridge Corporation had landed the contract to build the canal.

The U.S.-based nonprofit Stimson Center has warned that the canal would cause “significant transboundary impacts to water availability and agricultural production in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta.” The region is where 90% of rice exported from Vietnam is grown.

The Cambodian government has dismissed these concerns.

Earlier in April, Vietnam had asked Cambodia to share information about the canal. “We have asked Cambodia to collaborate closely with Vietnam and the Mekong River Commission in sharing information and assessing the project’s impacts on water resources and ecosystem in the Mekong Delta region."

Cambodia is a key Chinese diplomatic partner, helping dampen criticism of Beijing within the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, several of whose members, including Vietnam, are engaged in territorial disputes with China in the South China Sea.

China's outsized presence can be seen in the numerous Chinese-funded projects, hotels and casinos dotting the Cambodian landscape. China’s state banks have financed airports, roads and other infrastructure built with Chinese loans. Nearly 40% of Cambodia’s over $11 billion in foreign debt is owed to China.

In June 2022, China and Cambodia broke ground on a naval port expansion project that has raised concerns from the U.S. and others that it could give Beijing a strategically important military outpost on the Gulf of Thailand. Hun Sen in 2019 reportedly granted China the right to set up a military base at the Ream Naval Base. He has long denied that, saying Cambodia’s Constitution prohibits foreign military facilities.

Cambodia PM launches project linking Mekong river to sea via canal

AFP
Sun, August 4, 2024 a


People attend the ground breaking ceremony of the Funan Techo Canal in Kandal province in Cambodia (TANG CHHIN Sothy)

Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Manet on Monday launched a controversial $1.7 billion canal project that aims to provide a new link from the Mekong River to the sea.

Manet called the 180-kilometre (110-mile) project "historic" and vowed to "finish it at all costs".

"We must build this canal at all costs," Manet said at the project's launch ceremony before fireworks shot into the air and drums sounded after he pressed the launch button for the project.

The Funan Techo canal will run from the Mekong river, about an hour's drive southeast of Phnom Penh, to the sea in the Gulf of Thailand.

The government says the canal will offer an alternative to transit via Vietnam and will reduce dependence on Vietnamese ports, generating economic activity worth 21-30 percent more than its cost.

It would create tens of thousands of jobs in the country, which is among the poorest in Southeast Asia, though it has not provided detailed evidence for those forecasts.

suy/srg/fox

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, front left, accompanied by his wife Pich Chanmony, presses the button during a groundbreaking ceremony of China-funded Funan Techo canal that will connect the country’s capital Phnom Penh with Kep province on the country's south coast, Prek Takeo village, Kendal province, Cambodia, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)
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