OTTAWA DECLARES CHINESE DIPLOMAT 'PERSONA NON GRATA' IN CANADA

The Canadian government has expelled a Toronto-based Chinese diplomat who was allegedly involved in a scheme to intimidate a member of parliament.

China is accused of seeking to target lawmaker Michael Chong and his relatives in Hong Kong after he accused China of human rights abuses.

Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly declared diplomat Zhao Wei a "persona non grata" in a statement on Monday.

China's embassy in Ottawa said it condemns the expulsion.

The move by Ottawa follows a Canadian intelligence report, which emerged in the Globe and Mail newspaper, that accused Mr Zhao of being involved in gathering information about Mr Chong, 51, following his vocal criticism China's treatment of its Uighur minority population.

It said Canada's spy agency believes China sought details about Mr Chong's relatives in Hong Kong in an effort to deter "anti-China positions".

The politician put forward a motion in parliament in 2021 that declared China's treatment of Uighurs a genocide. China has denied the accusations and sanctioned Mr Chong shortly after.

Ms Joly said on Monday that Canada "will not tolerate any form of foreign interference in our internal affairs" and that the decision to expel the diplomat had "been taken after careful consideration of all factors at play".

Canada's spy agency has since been directed to immediately pass on information about threats to members of parliament and their families.

In a statement reported by Reuters, China's embassy in Ottawa said it "will resolutely take countermeasures" over the expulsion.

China last week accused Canada of "slander and defamation" over the claims Beijing targeted Mr Chong and his family.

Mr Chong, a Conservative, has criticised the governing Liberals of mishandling the matter and on Monday said: "It shouldn't have taken two years for the government to make this decision".

The allegations come amid other intelligence reports, leaked to Canadian media outlets, that have accused China of attempting to interfere in Canadian elections.

In March, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced an independent special rapporteur to investigate the interference claims.

BILAWAL’S INDIA TRIP DIVIDES PAKISTANI POLITICIANS, CITIZENS

Pakistan foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s behaviour at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Goa has earned him both brickbats and bouquets at home. The first visit by a senior Pakistani official to India in 12 years was derided by many people as a diplomatic disaster. And it has led to war of words between Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and Zardari’s Pakistan People’s Party.

While PPP supporters could not see anything wrong with their chairman’s behaviour, PTI supporters could see no right. At a rally in Lahore, Khan criticised Bilawal, questioning the trip to India. “Pakistan was humiliated,” said the former prime minister. “How the Indian foreign minister’s behaviour was when Bilawal went to India is a basis for shame for all of us.”

After the summit, Jaishankar called Bilawal a “spokesperson for the terror industry”.

Former federal minister and PTI member Fawad Chaudhry had earlier tweeted saying that “Pakistan’s foreign policy is dead”.

Reacting to India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s remarks, PTI member Shireen Mazari called the visit “unbelievable absurdity of Bajwa plan’.

Many local newspapers and political observers, on the other hand, hailed Bilawal’s visit, describing his demeanour as “subtle”.

The Express Tribune called Bilawal “an ideal statesperson”, who has “accomplished all that Pakistan wanted to from his Goa visit”. The report said he “exhibited all an ideal statesman needs to be armed with to defend his beleaguered country’s interests around the world in tumultuous times like these.”

RUSSIA FIRES 60 DRONES AT UKRAINE AHEAD OF VICTORY DAY HOLIDAY

Kyiv : Russia launched its biggest swarm of drones for months against Ukraine on Monday, the eve of Russia’s May 9 holiday celebrating the defeat of Nazi Germany, which Kyiv marked a day earlier in a symbolic new break with Moscow. Kyiv’s mayor said Russia had fired 60 Iranianmade kamikaze drones at Ukrainian targets, including 36 at the capital, all of which had been shot down. Debris hit apartments and other buildings, injuring at least five people in the capital. A food warehouse was set ablaze by a missile in the Black Sea city of Odesa, where officials reported three people were injured. It was the biggest drone swarm yet in a renewed Russian air campaign unleashed 10 days ago after a lull since early March.

Kyiv said Moscow was also making a final push to try to capture the ruined eastern city of Bakhmut, to deliver President Vladimir Putin what would be his only prize for a costly Russian winter offensive, in time for Victory Day. Moscow is preparing for Tuesday’s Victory Day parade, the most important day in the calendar for Russia under Putin, who uses the 1945 Soviet triumph over Nazi Germany to justify his invasion of Ukraine. In a new break with Russia, President Volodymyr Zelensky marked Victory Day on Monday rather than Tuesday, announcing that he had signed a decree to change the date of the holiday in line with the practice of Western allies.

Russia, meanwhile, has cancelled or curtailed some of the huge military parades that normally accompany Victory Day. Western countries say this decision arose in part out of security concerns and in part because Moscow has lost so much military hardware in a largely failed winter offensive in Ukraine that has seen the most intense ground combat in Europe since World War Two.

EU PROPOSES CURBS ON SEVERAL CHINESE COMPANIES FOR AIDING RUSSIA’S INVASION

The EU’s executive has proposed blacklisting several Chinese companies and curbing exports to nations seen as involved in bypassing Russia trade restrictions under the latest set of sanctions against Moscow for the war against Ukraine. The 27 EU member countries will have a first discussion on Wednesday on the proposal by the European Commission’s foreign policy unit, several diplomatic sources said on Monday. The proposal focuses on combating circumvention of existing trade restrictions through third countries, the sources said, after the EU identified China, Turkey, UAE, as well as countries in central Asia and the Caucasus as potential culprits. Seven companies in China would be subject to an asset freeze in the EU, said diplomats familiar with the proposal, in what would be a first for the bloc to punish China over accusations of Beijing’s role in aiding Russia’s war in Ukraine. On Monday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said China was urging the EU not to take the “wrong path”, and that it was prepared to take action to safeguard its rights and interests. Among those added to the blacklist would also be individuals deemed involved in deporting Ukrainian children and moving cultural goods to Russia from the war zone in Ukraine, the sources said.

IRAN HANGS 2 FOR BLASPHEMY; 203 EXECUTIONS IN ’23

Dubai : Iran hanged two men on Monday convicted of blasphemy, authorities said, carrying out rare death sentences for the crime as executions surge across the Islamic Republic. Iran remains one of the world’s top executioners, having put to death at least 203 prisoners since the start of this year alone, according to the Oslo-based group Iran Human Rights. But carrying out executions for blasphemy remains rare, as previous cases saw the sentences reduced by authorities.

The two men executed, Yousef Mehrad and Sadrollah Fazeli Zare, died at Arak prison in central Iran. They had been arrested in May 2020, accused ofbeing involved in a channel on the Telegram message app called “Critique of Superstition and Religion,” according to theUS Commission on International Religious Freedom. Both men faced months of solitary confinement and could notcontact their families, the commission said. The Mizan news agency of Iran’s judiciary confirmed the executions, describing the two men as having insulted Prophet Muhammad and promoted atheism. Mizan also accused them of burning aQuranthough it wasn’t clear whether the men allegedly did that or such imagery was shared in the Telegram channel.

It wasn’t y clear when Iran carried out its last execution for blasphemy. Other countries in West Asia, like Saudi Arabia, also allow for death sentences for blasphemy. In 2022, Iran executed at least 582 people, up from 333 people in 2021, according to Iran Human Rights.

AFGHAN TALIBAN URGE ISLAMABAD, TTP TO HOLD TALKS

Islamabad : The Afghan Taliban’s interim foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, rejected on Monday allegations that Afghanistan’s soil has been used for terrorist activities against Pakistan and urged Islamabad and the outlawed Tehreeke-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) to resolve their differences through dialogue.

Responding to a question about alleged Indian intelligence involvement in terror financing of the TTP, Muttaqi rebuffed the accusation as mere propaganda. “Afghan soil hasnever been used against any country,” the Afghan minister remarked at a presser after speaking at an event organised by the Institute of Strategic Studies (ISS), an Islamabadbased think tank. The Afghan interim FM is currently on a fourday visit to Pakistan to attend bilateral and trilateral (PakistanChina-Afghanistan) dialogues during which, he stated, discussions around the region’s security situation were also held.

The interim foreign minister said the Afghan Taliban had helped initiatenegotiations between Islamabad and TTP in the past. “We do not want Afghan territory to be used against any country as it’s not in Afghanistan’s interest,” he said, urging the two sides to be more focused on dialogue.

Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have featured ups and down in the past. Islamabad had held several rounds of Afghan Taliban-brokered talks with the TTP but negotiations broke down last year over a set of demands made by the militant group.

During talks, the TTP had succeeded in influencing Pakistani authorities to release dozens of its leaders and fighters languishing in detention centres across Pakistan. Islamabad had grown angrier over the Taliban administration’s failure to reign in the TTP, responsible for the resurgence of terrorist attacks in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in the northwest and Balochistan in the southwest. This April, the TTP had issued a statement claiming to have carried out 48 attacks on security forces across Pakistan.

PAK. ARMY SLAMS IMRAN KHAN FOR ‘BASELESS’ CLAIMS AGAINST ISI OFFICER

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Army slammed Imran Khan for “highly irresponsible and baseless” allegations by him against a serving ISI officer without any evidence as a fresh war of words broke out between the military and the former Prime Minister. He had accused ISI’s Gen Faisal Naseer of orchestrating plans to murder him.

AFTER ADOPTING NEW CONSTITUTION, UZBEKISTAN CALLS PRESIDENTIAL POLLS

TALLINN: Uzbekistan’s leader called a snap presidential election for July, with the announcement coming a week after a constitutional referendum extended the term from five years to seven. It wasn’t clear who would compete in the July 9 election, but President Shavkat Mirziyoyev would have almost no chance of losing.

CONVOY CARRYING ASEAN DIPLOMATS IN MYANMAR COMES UNDER ATTACK

YANGON: A convoy of diplomats travelling in Myanmar came under fire from an unknown armed group on Monday. The convoy was carrying diplomats from the embassies of Indonesia and Singapore and officials coordinating humanitarian relief from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) regional bloc.

CHINESE BOATS CROSS INDIAN AND ASEAN SHIPS DURING MILITARY EXERCISE

Boats belonging to a Chinese maritime militia approached an area where the Navies of India and ASEAN countries were taking part in drills in the South China Sea, two Indian sources said on Monday.

An independent expert in Vietnam said Beijing appeared to be using the militia to intimidate and disrupt the naval exercise.

Beijing has not responded to Reuters queries about the alleged incident and its possible motives. The Indian and Vietnamese governments declined to comment.

No face-off

The two-day sea phase of the ASEAN-India Maritime Exercise (AIME 2023) began on Sunday with naval ships and aircraft from India, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia and Brunei taking part.

They were in the Vietnamese Exclusive Economic Zone when the Chinese boats moved towards them, the Indian sources said. However, the militia boats and naval vessels crossed each other without any face-off, they said.

Indian authorities were tracking the movements of at least five militia boats, according to the sources, who did not wish to be identified as they are not authorised to speak to the media.

A Chinese research vessel was also following these boats towards the same area, they said.

Ray Powell, who leads Project Myoushu on the South China Sea at Stanford University, said the boats belong to the Qiong Sansha Yu militia fleet in the area.

FIRST CHATGPT ARREST IN CHINA AFTER FAKE TRAIN CRASH NEWS

Beijing : Chinese police have detained a man for allegedly generating fake news of a train crash and disseminating it online using artificial intelligence technology, in what was reported to be China’s first arrest for misuse of ChatGPT. Police in Gansu province said in a statement on Sunday that a suspect surnamed Hong had been detained for “using artificial intelligence technology to concoct false and untrue information”. The case first caught the attention of the cyber division of a county police bureau when they spotted a fake news article that claimed nine people had been killed in a local train accident on April 25.

The cybersecurity officers in Kongtong county found the article simultaneously posted by over 20 accounts on Baijiahao, a blog-style platform runby Chinese search engine giant Baidu. The stories had received over 15,000 clicks by the time it came to authorities’ attention. The Gansu public security department said Hong was suspected of the crime of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble”, a charge that carries a maximum sentence of five years. But in cases that are deemed especially severe, offenders can be jailed for 10 years. This is the first time the public has been made aware of an arrest by Chinese authorities after Beijing’s first provisions to regulate the use of “deepfake” technology officially took effect in January. While ChatGPT is not directly available to Chinese IP addresses, Chinese users can still access its service if they have a reliable VPN connection.

SERBIA SHOOTINGS: TENS OF THOUSANDS JOIN PROTESTS

Tens of thousands of Serbs have joined protests against gun violence in the capital Belgrade and another city after two mass shootings last week.

Seventeen people died in the shootings on Wednesday and Thursday, including eight children in a primary school.

The protesters called for the resignation of top government officials and want newspapers and TV stations they say promote violence shut down.

Serbia's President, Aleksandar Vucic, condemned the protests.

He accused the opposition of capitalising on a national tragedy to promote their own interests. He said he was ready to test his party's popularity at a snap vote.

"I will continue to work and I will never back down before the street and the mob... Whether it will be a reshuffle of the government or an election, we shall see," he said on TV.

The next parliamentary elections are set to take place in 2026.

BRUTAL HEAT CONTINUES TO GRIP ASIA

Asia remains in the grip of ablistering heatwave, chiming with predictions from climate scientists that 2023 could be the world’s hottest year. In an ominous sign ahead of the northern hemisphere summer, an emerging El Nino weather pattern is pushing the mercury to unprecedented levels in parts of the continent. Vietnam reported its highest ever temperature of 44. 2°C over the weekend, triggering power shortage warnings, while Laos also likely broke records. The Philippines cut classroom hours after the heat index reached the “danger” zone, reflecting the potentially deadly combination of heat and humidity.

The scorching temperatures follow a pattern of increasing extreme weather, caused by the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, that’s sending the world into uncharted territory. El Nino — characterised by warmer ocean temperatures across the Pacific — has far-reaching impacts on weather patterns around the world. It could bring relief to drought-parched areas of Argentina and the southern US, while blanketing parts of Asia and Australia with hotter, drier conditions. Coffee, sugar, palm oil and cocoa crops would be especially vulnerable.

Temperatures in Thailand remained above 40°C in many northern and central regionsover last week, pushing power demand to a fresh peak. . Authorities are monitoring the return of forest fires and air pollution. An El Nino in 2015 caused a particularly bad episode of haze that was one of the worst environmental disasters in Southeast Asia. Elsewhere in Asia, scorching temperatures have also roasted parts of China, India and Bangladesh over the past few weeks.