The Myanmar 'water brothers' salvaging shipwrecks on the tide

Yangon (Myanmar) (AFP) – Diving into the darkness of the Yangon River, Than Nyunt starts another murky sortie in his months-long mission to salvage a sunken ship using the power of the moon.


Issued on: 25/04/2024

A diver in Myanmar works to recover a sunken ship in the Yangon River, plunging down to attach cables to the wreck and using the power of the tides to bring the boat to shore

 © Sai Aung MAIN / AFP

His target is a 53-metre (174-foot) long cargo vessel resting on the silty riverbed in Myanmar's commercial hub, whose steel carcass will fetch a tidy sum as scrap -- if he can get it to shore.

A hose running from his mask up to an oxygen pump on the boat is his lifeline and only means of communication -- one tug on it from a colleague means "come up quickly".

He stays in the dark depths for up to three hours at a time, attaching cables to the wreck.

The cables run up to the team's boat on the surface, and then to shore. When it rises on the next tide, it will drag the shipwreck a few metres along the bed.

The work is slow and dangerous but addictive, said Than Nyunt, 58.

He says he has salvaged around 40 ships, from cargo boats to passenger ferries, since he started diving over four decades ago.

"After I excavate one ship I always want to do it again and again," he told AFP from the river, wearing a Manchester United jersey and a pair of gardening gloves.

A man swims after a dive to recover a sunken ship in the Yangon River; scrap dealers buy the metal and melt it down to be used again 

© Sai Aung MAIN / AFP

"Besides making money, I want to know the condition of the wreck... I also talk with ship owners about the ship's history, and we both are delighted when we can salvage them."

The team's current shipwreck -- the Mya Nadi (Emerald River) -- is an old friend for Than Nyunt.

He salvaged the vessel in 1981 for its owner, who fitted it with a new engine and set it back to work.

Around eight years ago it sank again.
'Water brothers'

There are between 20 and 30 wrecks on the bed of the Yangon, according to Than Nyunt.

During the British colonial era, the water thronged with ships taking away teak wood and rice from the hinterlands and bringing in workers from abroad.

Workers attach cables to the sunken ships, then slowly tighten them after each tide raises the wreck, bringing it into shallower waters nearer the shore 

© Sai Aung MAIN / AFP

In World War II, fierce fighting between Japan and Allied forces sent many vessels to the riverbed.

Cyclone Nargis, which devastated Myanmar's Irrawaddy Delta in 2008, killing at least 138,000 people, sent more to the bottom.

It left the riverbed a rich, if risky, hunting ground for salvagers.

Wrapping a metal chain around his body to weigh himself down, Thet Oo, 38, prepares for a shift unclogging silt from the 'Emerald River'.

The job is risky; divers spend hours underwater breathing through a hose attached to a pump on the boat above

 © Sai Aung MAIN / AFP

Working in the darkness, as much as 25 metres (80 feet) down and buffeted by strong currents is risky, he says.

"My life is in the hands of the man holding the oxygen pipe... If something happens to the oxygen machine, I can only know if he gives a signal to me."

That signal is a tug on the oxygen tube, warning the diver to come up.

"However much we argue on the boat, we have to act like brothers when we are under the water," said Than Nyunt.
Tidal cranes

Pulling the wrecks using the tidal surges of the river is organic but plodding and requires much patience.
In the last stage of the salvage, the team fix tyres and sandbags to the wreck to anchor it in place © Sai Aung MAIN / AFP

"We don't have a heavy-duty crane to pull the ships," says Than Nyunt.

"When the tide rises by up to 12 feet, we can expect the ship to move up to 10 feet and we can pull it to land."

After more than four months work, the skeleton of the Emerald River is visible in the shallows.

In the last stage of the salvage, the team fix tyres and sandbags to the wreck to anchor it in place.

Another team then moves in to dismember the wreck, working with blowtorches in knee-deep water.

A scrap dealer will buy the metal and melt it down to be used again.

Divers in Than Nyunt's team can earn 25,000 to 30,000 kyat each day ($12 - 14).

Once the wreck is out of the water, another team moves in to cut away the metal with blowtorches 

© Sai Aung MAIN / AFP

He has salvaged boats all over Myanmar, and doesn't want to stop.

"I don't smoke, drink or use drugs in my life... and I have the ambition to work for as many years as possible," he said.

"I'm 58 years old right now and I can work for the next 10 years, because I'm like a sportsperson who is always active."

© 2024 AFP

US aid for Taiwan 'will only increase tensions,' China says

US President Joe Bidensigned off on fresh assistance for Taiwan, allowing the island to upgrade its military hardware. Taiwan's president-elect says it will "safeguard peace," but China says it raises the risk of war.

China on Wednesday decried a fresh package of US military aid for Taiwan, which is intended to boost the island's defenses in the case of a possible Chinese invasion.

The US Senate passed the $8 billion (€7.48 billion) military aid package late Tuesday, as part of larger legislation that includes fresh assistance for Israel and Ukraine. Having already passed the House, US President Joe Biden later on Wednesday signed the package into law.

China: US aid to Taiwan raises 'risk of conflict'

"I'd like to emphasize that the United States and Taiwan strengthening military ties will not bring about security for Taiwan," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said. He said the assistance "will only increase tensions and the risk of conflict across the Taiwan Strait."

A Chinese spokesperson for the mainland's Taiwan Affairs Office, Zhu Fenglian, said the aid violates US commitments to China and "sends a wrong signal to the Taiwan independence separatist forces."

China does not view Taiwan as a separate country, but rather as a breakaway province. The Chinese Civil War ended in 1949, with the communists taking control of the Chinese mainland and the nationalist Kuomintang retreating to Taiwan.
Taiwan 'very happy' with aid package

Taiwanese incumbent President Tsai ing-Wen, meanwhile, was pleased with the aid package.



"We are also very happy that the Senate has just passed these bills," Tsai said during a meeting with a US congressional delegation in Taipei. Tsai belongs to the center-left Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which emphasizes Taiwan's separate identity from the mainland.

A day earlier, Taiwan's incoming president, Lai Ching-te, said the US assistance would "strengthen the deterrence against authoritarianism in the West Pacific ally chain" and "help ensure peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and also boost confidence in the region." Lai is also a member of the DPP.

The US aid package will help modernize Taiwan's forces as China frequently conducts military maneuvers near the island.

Western leaders such as Biden have expressed concerns that China may take control of Taiwan by force in the coming years.

A Chinese invasion would not only cost human lives, but it could be a massive blow to the global economy — the island is a major producer of semiconductor chips which are used in everything from cellphones to automobiles.

China-Taiwan conflict: How it could ruin the global economy

The fresh US aid to Taiwan comes as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visits China on Wednesday.

Blinken is expected to meet his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Friday, with Taiwan near the top of the agenda. The top US diplomat may also meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping, who has earlier suggested that Chinese reunification with Taiwan is "inevitable."

wd/sms (AP, AFP)

How Thai 'boy-love' series raise LGBTQ+ awareness

Emmy Sasipornkarn in Bangkok

Thai-produced gay-romance TV dramas are becoming increasingly popular across Asia. Are they also creating more acceptance of LGBTQ+ people?



Critics have pointed out that these series don't reflect the real diversity of the LGBTQ+ community in Thailand

Image: Andre Malerba/ZUMA/dpa/picture alliance

When the protagonists of gay-romance drama "Cutie Pie," Lian Kilen Wang and Kuea Keerati, tied the knot at the end of the series, they did so knowing that their marriage would not be legally recognized, even in the fictional world of Thailand's "boy-love" TV shows.

But now, in real life, that is about to change, as Thailand is set to join Taiwan and Nepal as the only places in Asia to allow same-sex marriage.

Cutie Pie, which has an assertive pro-LGBTQ+ stance, is one of many shows in a genre called Boy's Love (BL).

These shows focus on romantic relationships between two male characters, and are mainly enjoyed by a primarily straight female audience.

"What the Thai BL industry is already working on is increasing the visibility of LGBTQ+ people," said Natthanai Prasannam, associate professor of Thai literary and cultural studies at Kasetsart University in Bangkok.
Huge commercial appeal

Thailand's BL series have attracted a large following internationally, especially in Asia — including China where the government bans the genre — and even in South America.

Last year, rom-com "My School President" starring Gemini Norawit Titicharoenrak and Fourth Nattawat Jirochtikul racked up at least 150 million views on different streaming platforms.

Given the main actors' chemistry on and off screen, the cast held live meet-and-greets with fans all over Asia — from South Korea and Japan to the Philippines and Singapore.

Some fans have even started learning Thai. "I started learning the language myself several months ago because I wanted to understand what my favorite 'couple pairing' says," Rose, a 19-year-old fan in China, told DW.

Thailand now has a reputation as an exporter of "boy-love" series. In 2020, when the breakout show "2gether" was aired, there were only 24 BL shows. Last year, over 60 series were released, according to local media.

"The popularity of the Thai BL industry is closely linked to the fact that we produce more than other countries due to legal, religious and cultural factors," Natthanai told DW.

He added that the actors' charisma, coupled with the extensive interactions between the actors and their fans through meet-and-greet events, and social media also contribute to its success.


Perpetuating gender stereotypes?

While portraying the lives of queer communities gives them more representation, there are concerns over stereotypical gender roles assigned to the lead couples in the Thai BL shows.

Many of them follow traditional heterosexual norms, with one person taller and more masculine while the other is usually smaller and more feminine, according to Bangkok-based data center Rocket Media Lab, which studied 13 Thai BL series aired between 2020 and early 2021.

Critics have also pointed out that these series don't reflect the real diversity of the LGBTQ+ community in Thailand.

"You don't really see flamboyantly gay people in the shows. When you do, they exist as props or funny characters," said Jason, who has been a BL fan for a decade.

But some experts say this trend is gradually changing.

"Effeminate gays are being shown more in the media and portrayed as empowered individuals. This is a significant development," Nattanai told DW.

"But we must not forget that BL series' role to increase LGBTQ+ awareness cannot take place without other changes such as the attitude of the audience or the public and that of the government," he added.


Mixed feelings from LGBTQ+ community

While Thailand enjoys a welcoming reputation for these BL series, some say the characters are free of the real-life obstacles that many queer people have to go through.

Instead, the majority focus more on marketable scenes and romantic tensions between the leading couples.

"I like watching these boy-love series because, for me, they have become a source of escapism, everything is so easy," said Jason, who is part of the Thai LGBTQ+ community.

Nearly 60% of the Thai BL series produced in the past decade do not address real-world problems faced by LGBTQ+ community, according to Thailand's online newspaper The Matter.

"Sometimes some scenes are oversimplified, for example, when they come out to their family and friends, they are either immediately accepted for who they are or people would say 'I've known for a while, no big deal.' But in real life, it's not that simple, especially when you are not from a big city," Jason said.

But he admits that reinforcing the normalization of the queer experience — even if current portrayals can still be problematic — does help change public perceptions, especially those of more conservative older generations.

Edited by: Srinivas Mazumdaru

ESCAPE FROM STALAG 13

Germany: Camel leads circus animal breakout

A camel made two bids for freedom from a circus in Germany on Wednesday, and took several other animals with it. All the escaped creatures were quickly and safely rounded up.

An official police press photo shows the escaped animals being rounded up

Image: Polizeipräsidium Westpfalz


A camel escaped from a circus near the southwestern German city of Kaiserslautern on Wednesday and enabled a dozen further animals to break out in the process, according to local police.

Officers were first alerted to the situation when drivers spotted the camel walking down Entersweilerstrasse, just to the east of Kaiserslautern city center.

The single-humped dromedary had escaped from a nearby circus while staff had been dismantling tents, but it was quickly rounded-up and returned to the site.

However, the four-legged mammal appeared to get the hump at being recaptured and managed to slip away a second time, tearing a hole in a tent, through which other animals also made a bid for freedom, including at least one sheep and one cow.

All the want-away animals were eventually enticed back to the circus by police and animal carers with the help of food.

The breakout came on the same day that two British Army horses caused havoc by galopping through the streets of central London after getting spooked during a training exercise. Fortunately in Kaiserslautern, however, none of the animals were hurt.
Copy-camel escape attempt from Austria

Camels aren't native to Germany, but its not the first time they have been spotted roaming the streets of western Europe.

In October 2023, eight camels took advantage of a midnight power cut to escape from a circus in the Austrian town of Hallein, just south of Salzburg.

The camels, double-humped Bactrians in this case, were en route to the local train station when they were rounded up after 15 minutes of freedom.
Camel babies in Bamberg

Indeed, it's been a busy few months for circus camels in German-speaking countries.

In February 2024, a circus in the small town of Hallstadt just outside the south-eastern German city of Bamberg celebrated the birth of two baby camels.

"Robert" and "Roberta" were named after the founder of a local medication company and have yet to make any spontaneous bids for freedom.

2018 was also a busy year for German circus camels, seven of which paid a Monday night visit to a discount supermarket near the northern city of Celle.

A few months earlier, two camels had approached a McDonald's restaurant near Bremen, but the vegetarians opted for the grass outside instead.

mf/wmr (dpa, AFP)

Australia: 160 pilot whales stranded on western beach

Several pilot whales — known for their tight-knit bonds — were stranded on a Western Australian coast. Officials were concerned many of them would have to be euthanized.

Experts say four pods that make up about 160 whales were stranded on the beach

Image: Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions via AP/picture alliance

Marine biologists on Thursday raced to save dozens of pilot whales stranded in shallow waters on a Western Australian coast.

As many as 160 whales became trapped in shallow water at Toby's Inlet in Geographe Bay, about a three-hour drive south of Perth, the Western Australia Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions said.

Pilot whales are known for maintaining tight-knit social bonds, so when one gets into difficulty and strands, the rest often follow, according to the university.

"We understand there are four pods of up to 160 pilot whales in total spread across about 500 meters. Unfortunately, 26 whales that stranded on the beach have died," a department spokesperson said in a statement.

"A team of experienced staff including wildlife officers, marine scientists, veterinarians are on site or on their way," the Parks and Wildlife Service said in a statement. They will try to guide the pilot whales back to deep waters.

However, officials were worried many of the creatures would have to be euthanized.

"These events usually result in the beached animals having to be euthanized as the most humane outcome," the Wildlife Service said. "We always hope for the best outcome."

While scientists do not fully understand why they occur, mass strandings of pilot whales are not uncommon in Australia and New Zealand.

In 2022, around 500 pilot whales died after beaching on New Zealand's remote Chatham Islands.

Officials urged the public not to try to rescue the whales on their own.

EU membership on the table as North Macedonia holds first round of presidential vote

North Macedonia on Wednesday held the first round of a presidential election – the first in a series of votes that could decide whether the Balkan country will join the European Union.

24/04/2024 - 

A woman casts her ballot for the presidential elections at a polling station in Skopje, North Macedonia, on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. 

© Boris Grdanoski, AP

It will be followed by a presidential run-off and a parliamentary poll on May 8.

President Stevo Pendarovski of the ruling centre-left Social Democrats (SDSM) is in danger of being unseated by Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova, who is backed by the right-wing VMRO-DPMNE.

The elections come amid a two-year standoff between the government and the opposition over how to deal with neighbouring Bulgaria blocking its path to EU membership.

Relations with Bulgaria have been strained for years by disputes over the two countries' languages and history.

Sofia has refused to back the opening of accession talks between Skopje and the EU until North Macedonia recognises its tiny Bulgarian minority in the constitution.

Pendarovski and the SDSM are prepared to make the amendments but lack the numbers to win a parliamentary vote.

The opposition VMRO-DPMNE party says constitutional changes can only come after North Macedonia joins the EU, a stance the government says is unrealistic.

Wednesday's vote puts the two opposing views on the ballot.

According to the State Electoral Commission, with 94 percent of polling stations processed by 6:30pm, turnout was over 48 percent, seven points higher than the first round of the presidential elections in 2019.

About 1.8 million people – including a large diaspora – were eligible to vote, while more than 800,000 cast their ballots in 3,480 polling stations around the country, which closed at 7:00pm.

Old rivals

The long-time political rivals, who also faced off in the last presidential election in 2019, lead a crowded field of seven candidates.

Pendarovski and the SDSM have vowed to unlock the stalled talks with the EU and shepherd the constitutional changes through parliament.

"The priority of the new parliament will be adopting the constitutional changes and I expect that process to start immediately after the elections," he said.

Siljanovska-Davkova and the VMRO-DPMNE said North Macedonia – which had to change its name in 2018 from Macedonia to settle a separate long-running dispute with Greece – will not be pushed around on the issue.

Read more‘A moving target’: North Macedonia’s foreign minister on EU accession

"Only unity can push us forward... and make us feel proud," the retired law professor and former MP told a rally on Monday night.

After voting, Siljanovska-Davkova remained confident saying, "the hour has come for this government to go".

The message appears to resonate with many who are looking for a change.

"From these elections I expect total change of the government and finally the interests of Macedonia to be protected," Filip Zdraveski, 38, told AFP after voting in the capital Skopje.

Wednesday's vote will be closely monitored as a barometer for the parliamentary elections, said analyst Ana Petruseva, head of the North Macedonia branch of regional investigative reporting outlet BIRN.

"The presidential elections' first round will be a dress-rehearsal for the parliamentary elections on May 8 and will reveal the major political parties' standings," she told AFP.
Eventual Albanian president?

Opinion polls have suggested Pendarovski is heading for defeat.

Siljanovska-Davkova leads in the polls with 26 percent support followed by Pendarovski on 16 percent.

The support of the five other candidates may be vital for the runoff, Petruseva added.

The five include Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani, supported by the ethnic Albanian DUI party – a partner in the ruling coalition – and Arben Taravari of the opposition ethnic Albanian coalition.

The DUI has offered its backing in the second round on condition that future presidents be elected by MPs, which it hopes would one day lead to an ethnic Albanian holding the position.

Albanians make up more than a quarter of the country's population of 1.8 million.

Pendarovski and Siljanovska-Davkova have dismissed the idea, saying it is more democratic for the head of state to be selected through a direct vote.

Ordinary voters, however, seem more interested in making ends meet.

"I hope that whoever wins will improve living standards and make a better future, especially for young people," civil servant Sanja Jovanovic-Damjanovska told AFP.

(AFP)

North Macedonia presidential election heads to runoff

Opposition candidate Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova is in the lead after winning almost almost 40% of the first-round vote. The election comes as North Macedonia seeks EU membership.

North Macedonia will enter into a presidential runoff, after no candidate secured enough votes to win outright in Wednesday's first round of balloting.

Right-wing candidate Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova, claimed a comprehensive victory in the first round, securing almost 40% of the votes according to the state electoral commission.

Siljanovska-Davkova is backed by the main opposition center-right party VMRO-DPMNE.

Current President Stevo Pendarovski of the ruling center-left Social Democrats (SDSM), only managed to claim close to 20 percent of the votes

The second round is scheduled for May 8.

Approach to joining European Union at heart of election

The election is being fought as North Macedonia attempt to join the European Union.

Although both the SDSM and VMRO-DPMNE harbor a desire to join the EU, they differ on how that can be achieved.

Neighboring Bulgaria, an EU member, has refused to back the opening of accession talks between Skopje and the bloc until North Macedonia recognizes its ethnic Bulgarian minority in the constitution.

Pendarovski and the SDSM are prepared to make the amendments, while the VMRO-DPMNE party says constitutional changes can only come after North Macedonia joins the EU.

How the candidates reacted to the results

"It is clear that this result is incredibly inspirational for me," Siljanovska-Davkova said.

"I only know that what I promise I will implement in my own way. This is a beginning of a new era."

Meanwhile, Pendarovski explained he was surprised, adding: "We expected less (difference), but tomorrow is a new day. We are starting from the beginning."

"My assignment is to promote the concept I believe in: a state that is not isolated and that is integrated in Europe."

km/fb (AFP, AP, dpa)

N. Macedonia's right-wing candidate wins first round presidential election

North Macedonia's right-wing candidate Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova claimed a comprehensive victory in the first round of presidential elections on Wednesday -- the first in a series of votes that could decide whether the Balkan country will join the European Union.


Issued on: 25/04/2024 -

Presidential candidate of the biggest opposition party VMRO DPMNE Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova celebrates her victory in the first round of the presidential elections in Skopje on April 24, 2024. 

© Robert Atanasovski, AFP

According to the state electoral commission, with 90 percent of vots counted, Siljanovska-Davkova had romped to victory with almost 40 percent.

That put her way ahead of President Stevo Pendarovski of the ruling centre-left Social Democrats (SDSM), who claimed close to 20 percent of the votes.

The two will face off in the second round run-off on May 8 but the outlook is bleak for Pendarovski.

There will also be a parliamentary poll that same day.

Turnout was over 49 percent, according to the electoral commission, some eight points higher than the first round of the presidential elections in 2019.

About 1.8 million people -- including a large diaspora -- were eligible to vote, while more than 810,000 cast their ballots at 3,480 polling stations around the country.

"It is clear that this result is incredibly inspirational for me," Siljanovska-Davkova, who is supported by the main opposition party VMRO-DPMNE, told reporters on Wednesday evening.

"I only know that what I promise I will implement in my own way. This is a beginning of a new era."

Pendarovski admitted he was surprised by the wide gap.

"We expected less (difference), but tomorrow is a new day. We are starting from the beginning," Pendarovski told reporters.

"My assignment is to promote the concept I believe in: a state that is not isolated and that is integrated in Europe."

The elections came amid a two-year standoff between the government and the opposition over how to deal with neighbouring Bulgaria blocking its path to EU membership.

Relations with Bulgaria have been strained for years by disputes over the two countries' languages and history.

Sofia has refused to back the opening of accession talks between Skopje and the EU until North Macedonia recognises its tiny Bulgarian minority in the constitution.

Pendarovski and the SDSM are prepared to make the amendments but lack the numbers to win a parliamentary vote.

The VMRO-DPMNE party says constitutional changes can only come after North Macedonia joins the EU, a stance the government says is unrealistic.
Old rivals

Long-time political rivals Pendarovski and Siljanovska-Davkova, who also faced off in the last presidential election in 2019, led a crowded field of seven candidates.

Pendarovski and the SDSM vowed to unlock the stalled talks with the EU and shepherd the constitutional changes through parliament.

Siljanovska-Davkova and the VMRO-DPMNE said North Macedonia -- which had to change its name in 2018 from Macedonia to settle a separate long-running dispute with Greece -- will not be pushed around on the issue.

The message appeared to resonate with many who are looking for a change.

"From these elections I expect total change of the government and finally the interests of Macedonia to be protected," Filip Zdraveski, 38, told AFP after voting in the capital Skopje.

Wednesday's vote was closely watched as a barometer for the parliamentary elections, analyst Ana Petruseva, head of the North Macedonia branch of regional investigative reporting outlet BIRN, told AFP.

The support of the five other candidates may be vital for the runoff, Petruseva added.

The five include Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani, supported by the ethnic Albanian DUI party -- a partner in the ruling coalition who won 13 percent -- and Arben Taravari of the opposition ethnic Albanian coalition, with over nine percent of the votes.

The DUI has offered its backing in the second round on condition that future presidents be elected by MPs, which it hopes would one day lead to an ethnic Albanian holding the office.

Albanians make up more than a quarter of the country's population of 1.8 million.

Pendarovski and Siljanovska-Davkova have dismissed the idea, saying it is more democratic for the head of state to be selected through a direct vote.

(AFP)

The 'promise of a peaceful world' eclipsed by the 'reality of a fragmented world'

Issued on: 24/04/2024 -

Amid a fractured world and decades of 'paralysis' of the UN Security Council as it struggles to find any common ground among a wide array of geopolitical crises, FRANCE 24's François Picard is joined by Dr. Ghassan Salamé, International Relations Professor at Sciences-Po, former UN representative, former Minister of Culture of Lebanon.

12:08 Video by: François PICARD

Malala Yousafzai vows support for Gaza after backlash

Lahore (Pakistan) (AFP) – Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai on Thursday condemned Israel and reaffirmed her support for Palestinians in Gaza, after a backlash in her native Pakistan over a Broadway musical she co-produced with former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.


Issued on: 25/04/2024 - 

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai participates in a panel discussion in Johannesburg in December 2023 

© PHILL MAGAKOE / AFP/File

Yousafzai, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014, has been condemned by some for partnering with Clinton, an outspoken supporter of Israel's war against Hamas.

The musical, titled "Suffs," depicts the American women's suffrage campaign for the right to vote in the 20th century and has been playing in New York since last week.

"I want there to be no confusion about my support for the people of Gaza," Yousafzai wrote on X, the former Twitter. "We do not need to see more dead bodies, bombed schools and starving children to understand that a ceasefire is urgent and necessary."

She added: "I have and will continue to condemn the Israeli government for its violations of international law and war crimes."

Pakistan has seen many fiercely emotional pro-Palestinian protests since the war in Gaza began last October.

Yusafzai's "theatre collaboration with Hillary Clinton -- who stands for America's unequivocal support for genocide of Palestinians -- is a huge blow to her credibility as a human rights activist," popular Pakistani columnist Mehr Tarar wrote on social media platform X on Wednesday.

"I consider it utterly tragic."

Whilst Clinton has backed a military campaign to remove Hamas and rejected demands for a ceasefire, she has also explicitly called for protections for Palestinian civilians.

Yousafzai has publically condemned the civilian casualties and called for a ceasefire in Gaza.

The New York Times reported the 26-year-old wore a red-and-black pin to the "Suffs" premier last Thursday, signifying her support for a ceasefire.

But author and academic Nida Kirmani said on X that Yousafzai's decision to partner with Clinton was "maddening and heartbreaking at the same time. What an utter disappointment."

The war began with an unprecedented Hamas attack on Israel on October 7 that resulted in the deaths of around 1,170 people, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures. Hamas militants also abducted 250 people and Israel estimates 129 of them remain in Gaza, including 34 who the military says are dead.

Clinton served as America's top diplomat during former president Barack Obama's administration, which oversaw a campaign of drone strikes targeting Taliban militants in Pakistan and Afghanistan's borderlands.

Yousafzai earned her Nobel Peace Prize after being shot in the head by the Pakistani Taliban as she pushed for girls' education as a teenager in 2012.

However, the drone war killed and maimed scores of civilians in Yousafzai's home region, spurring more online criticism of the youngest Nobel Laureate, who earned the prize at 17.

Yousafzai is often viewed with suspicion in Pakistan, where critics accuse her of pushing a Western feminist and liberal political agenda on the conservative country.

© 2024 AFP

'West on wrong side of history': Support for victims of 'genocide' not pro-Hamas nor anti-semitic

Issued on: 24/04/2024 -

As pro-Palestinian peace protests rage at Columbia University and across US campuses nationwide, FRANCE 24's François Picard is joined by Dr. Rashid Khalidi, American Historian, Edward Said Professor of Modern Arab Studies at Columbia University, and Editor of the Journal of Palestine Studies.

14:37  Video by: François PICARD

Arizona lower House passes bill to repeal Civil War-era abortion ban

Legislators in Arizona voted Wednesday to repeal an 1864 law that would have almost completely banned abortion in the battleground US state, after moderate Republicans broke ranks to side with Democrats.

Issued on: 24/04/2024 - 

Pro-abortion rights demonstrators rally in Scottsdale, Arizona on April 15, 2024. 

© Frederic J. Brown, AFP

The western state, which is a must-win for both President Joe Biden and his Republican rival Donald Trump in this year's White House race, jumped headlong into the divisive abortion rights debate this month when its supreme court ruled a 160-year-old law was enforceable.

That law, which was drafted long before Arizona became a state and before women had the right to vote, made it a criminal offense for anyone to carry out an abortion, and allowed for prison sentences of up to fiveyears for anyone convicted.

It made no exceptions for rape or incest.

The court ruled that because the state had never legislated for the right to abortion, its practice of allowing terminations up to the 15-week mark had been underpinned only by the landmark Roe vs. Wade ruling by the US Supreme Court that had guaranteed reproductive freedoms across the country.

When the court -- it has three conservative justices appointed by Trump -- overturned that half-century-old ruling in 2022, Arizona had to revert to its original statutes, the state's court ruled.

The law had been due to come into effect in June, although the state's attorney general had vowed she would not allow anyone to be prosecuted under it.

The Arizona Senate, where Republicans also hold a majority, voted last week in favor of introducing a bill that would repeal the law, with a handful of moderates joining the Democratic side.

The bill will have to go through three readings in the upper chamber before it can become law, a process expected to take several weeks.

Republican Party leaders nationally had called on the state to moderate the ban, with Trump insisting it had gone "too far."

But local legislators were unmoved, and Wednesday's vote was only possible because three Republicans crossed the aisle.

While rural Arizona remains deeply conservative, the state's fast-growing cities increasingly put Democratic Party candidates in office.

The shifting balance of power is expected to be a huge factor in the presidential election. Biden won Arizona in 2020 by just a few thousand votes.
Winner

Wednesday's development is the latest chapter in a highly emotional debate that runs through American society, one that is expected to be consequential in November's presidential election.

Democrats have been quick to pounce when Republican-dominated states use the 2022 US Supreme Court ruling to make access to reproductive health care more difficult.

Biden's party is convinced that it is a winner with voters and will drive turnout at the ballot box.

They have tried to turn the spotlight on Trump, who appears stuck between boasting of his success in overturning Roe vs. Wade and suffering the consequences, which prove unpopular every time they are put to the electoral test.

Evangelical Christians, who make up a sizeable chunk of Trump's MAGA base, celebrate when abortion is restricted, even as opinion polls repeatedly show a clear majority of Americans are in favor of retaining the freedom in some form.

(AFP)