france24--2020-06-30--'Build, build build': UK's Johnson unveils plan to beat Covid-19 slump

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson delivers his speech at Dudley College of Technology on June 30 , 2020 .
Prime Minister Boris Johnson promised to shake Britain 's economy out of its coronavirus-induced crisis on Tuesday by fast-tracking infrastructure investment and slashing property planning rules .
As Britain emerges from lockdown , Johnson is looking to move past criticism of his government 's handling of the pandemic with a plan to repair the economic damage and reshape the country .
`` We can not continue simply to be prisoners of the crisis , '' Johnson said .
`` We must @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the vertiginous drop in GDP and we know that people are worried now about their jobs and their businesses . ''
His message , delivered at a college in the central English town of Dudley , was overshadowed by the announcement of a new lockdown in Leicester , just 50 miles away , where Covid-19 infections are surging .
Nevertheless , with an exhortation to `` build , build , build '' , Johnson announced plans to speed up government infrastructure spending and cut through the red tape around planning to make private @ @ @ @ @ @ @ build the hospitals , build the schools , the colleges .
But we will also build back greener and build a more beautiful Britain , '' he said .
Promising not to cut spending , he compared his plan to then US President Franklin D. Roosevelt 's 1930s `` New Deal '' , which included job-creating public works projects to help the United States recover from the Great Depression .
`` It sounds like a prodigious amount of government intervention , sounds like a new deal ...
If that is so , then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sound , '' Johnson said .
Tuesday 's headline spending announcement of 5 billion pounds ( $ 6 billion ) amounts to around 5 % of gross public sector investment last year .
Most had already been announced and is only being spent sooner than planned .
`` It 's not enough , '' Labour Party Leader Keir Starmer told the BBC .
`` The prime minister promised a new deal — well there 's not much that 's new and it 's not much of a deal . ''
Kate Forbes , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , said the stimulus was below the response of countries like Germany .
Layla Moran of the Liberal Democrats said it amounted to `` scrabbling together a few quid rattling around behind the government sofa '' .
The 5 billion pounds of accelerated investment will be made up of projects including hospitals , schools and roads .
Finance minister Rishi Sunak will announce further details next week .
Britain 's recent history shows that while big infrastructure projects are often seen as a way to create jobs improve the economy , they are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ train line in London is over budget and late , as is a north-south high speed rail link .
After decades of discussing airport expansion at London Heathrow , the project remains mired in legal challenges .
`` The key now is to ensure that these projects get off the ground as a matter of urgency , '' said Stephen Phipson , Chief Executive of manufacturing trade body Make UK .

Prime Minister Boris Johnson promised to shake Britain's economy out of its coronavirus-induced crisis on Tuesday by fast-tracking infrastructure investment and slashing property planning rules.
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As Britain emerges from lockdown, Johnson is looking to move past criticism of his government's handling of the pandemic with a plan to repair the economic damage and reshape the country.
"We cannot continue simply to be prisoners of the crisis," Johnson said. "We must work fast because we've already seen the vertiginous drop in GDP and we know that people are worried now about their jobs and their businesses."
His message, delivered at a college in the central English town of Dudley, was overshadowed by the announcement of a new lockdown in Leicester, just 50 miles away, where Covid-19 infections are surging.
Nevertheless, with an exhortation to "build, build, build", Johnson announced plans to speed up government infrastructure spending and cut through the red tape around planning to make private sector property development easier..
"We will build the hospitals, build the schools, the colleges. But we will also build back greener and build a more beautiful Britain," he said.
Promising not to cut spending, he compared his plan to then US President Franklin D. Roosevelt's 1930s "New Deal", which included job-creating public works projects to help the United States recover from the Great Depression.
"It sounds like a prodigious amount of government intervention, sounds like a new deal ... If that is so, then that is how it's meant to sound," Johnson said.
Spent sooner
Tuesday's headline spending announcement of 5 billion pounds ($6 billion) amounts to around 5% of gross public sector investment last year. Most had already been announced and is only being spent sooner than planned.
"It's not enough," Labour Party Leader Keir Starmer told the BBC. "The prime minister promised a new deal — well there's not much that's new and it's not much of a deal."
Kate Forbes, finance secretary for the devolved Scottish government, said the stimulus was below the response of countries like Germany. Layla Moran of the Liberal Democrats said it amounted to "scrabbling together a few quid rattling around behind the government sofa".
The 5 billion pounds of accelerated investment will be made up of projects including hospitals, schools and roads. Finance minister Rishi Sunak will announce further details next week.
Britain's recent history shows that while big infrastructure projects are often seen as a way to create jobs improve the economy, they are difficult to deliver.
A new underground train line in London is over budget and late, as is a north-south high speed rail link. After decades of discussing airport expansion at London Heathrow, the project remains mired in legal challenges.
"The key now is to ensure that these projects get off the ground as a matter of urgency," said Stephen Phipson, Chief Executive of manufacturing trade body Make UK.
(REUTERS)
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france24--2020-06-30--Special edition: African advancement and the consequences of colonialism

Special edition : African advancement and the consequences of colonialism While the murder of George Floyd in the United States @ @ @ @ @ the world , it has also stirred up the painful history of colonialism .
In @ @ @ @ @ 24 takes a look at the history behind the tumultuous relationship between Europe and Africa @ @ @ @ @ , Nigeria , Cameroon and DR Congo explore the complicated collective memory of former colonial @ @ @ @ @ controlled .

Special edition: African advancement and the consequences of colonialism
16:58 ACROSS AFRICA © France 24
By: Georja Calvin-Smith Follow | Laura DI BIASIO
While the murder of George Floyd in the United States has revived anti-racism movements around the world, it has also stirred up the painful history of colonialism. In this special edition, FRANCE 24 takes a look at the history behind the tumultuous relationship between Europe and Africa. Reports from South Africa, Nigeria, Cameroon and DR Congo explore the complicated collective memory of former colonial powers and the nations they controlled.


france24--2020-07-01--UK offers Hong Kongers citizenship over China's 'serious breach' of pact

A person is detained by riot police officers during a march against national security law at the anniversary of Hong Kong 's handover to China from Britain , in Hong Kong , China July 1 , 2020 .
Britain on Wednesday extended Hong Kong residents a broader path to citizenship in response to China 's sweeping new security law for the former UK territory .
Prime Minister Boris Johnson 's announcement represents the most direct international response to legislation that has been roundly condemned by Western allies .
It comes during a London review of its entire range of relations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the role China 's Huawei is playing in the buildup of Britain 's 5G data network .
`` We stand for rules and obligations , '' Johnson told parliament just hours after China made its first arrests in Hong Kong under the new legislation .
`` The enactment and deposition of this national security law constitutes a clear and serious breach of the Sino-British Joint Declaration . ''
Johnson said London had warned Beijing that it would introduce a new route for those with British National Overseas status to move to the UK @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we will do now , '' he said .
About 300,000 Hong Kongers have BNO passports and another 2.6 million are eligible to apply .
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said Britain 's offer also extended to dependents of those with BNO status but refused to be drawn about how many would apply .
Sky News and other media said Raab 's office also summoned China 's embassador Liu Xiaoming to express its deep concern .
Hong Kong was under UK jurisdiction until Britain handed it to China in 1997 with a guarantee that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and legislative autonomy for 50 years .
But critics say the new law -- passed by Beijing 's rubber-stamp parliament this week without its text being released to the public -- tests the limits of the `` One Country , Two Systems '' principle that formally entered international law in 1984 .
Britain 's last Hong Kong governor called details of the legislation unveiled overnight `` even worse than I expected '' .
`` It is Orwellian stuff , '' Chris Patten told the BBC .
`` It does go wider and further @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's response to China 's legislation offers a much smoother pathway to UK citizenship for millions of Hong Kongers .
Raab said Hong Kongers with BNO status and their dependents would first have the right to work or study in Britain for five years .
They would then have the right to apply for settled status then possible citizenship .
He said there would be `` no quotas '' and described the entire system as `` bespoke '' .
`` This is a grave and deeply disturbing step , '' he said of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this national security legislation is not living up to its promises to the people of Hong Kong .
We will live up to our promises to them , '' he told lawmakers .
Britain had opened itself up to closer relations with China as it sought out trading partners after ending its decades-long membership in the European Union this year .
Johnson 's government also irritated the US administration in January by allowing the private Chinese telecoms group Huawei to unroll Britain 's speedy new data network .
But Britain is now studying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its system entirely and build up an alliance of European and Asian providers that reduces China 's dominance in the field .
British condemnation of the Chinese law has spanned the political divide and seen London 's Asia-focused HSBC group come under political assault for openly backing it last month .
Raab did not mention the bank by name but noted : `` The rights and the freedoms and our responsibilities in this country to the people of Hong Kong should not be sacrificed on the altar of bankers ' bonuses '' .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ public pressure from a pro-Beijing figure in Hong Kong who pointed to the bank 's reliance on business in China .

Britain has extended Hong Kong residents a broader path to citizenship in response to China's sweeping new security law for the former UK territory. China warned Britain on Thursday that it would consider retaliating for the move with "commensurate measures".
Riot police detain a man and display a purple flag warning people they may be committing an offence under a new national security law during a protest in Hong Kong on July 1, 2020.
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Prime Minister Boris Johnson's announcement represents the most direct international response to legislation that has been roundly condemned by Western allies.
It comes during a London review of its entire range of relations with Beijing that includes a reassessment of the role China's Huawei is playing in the buildup of Britain's 5G data network.
"We stand for rules and obligations," Johnson told parliament just hours after China made its first arrests in Hong Kong under the new legislation.
"The enactment and deposition of this national security law constitutes a clear and serious breach of the Sino-British Joint Declaration."
Johnson said London had warned Beijing that it would introduce a new route for those with British National Overseas status to move to the UK.
"And that is precisely what we will do now," he said.
About 300,000 Hong Kongers have BNO passports and another 2.6 million are eligible to apply.
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said Britain's offer also extended to dependents of those with BNO status but refused to be drawn about how many would apply.
Sky News and other media said Raab's office also summoned China's embassador Liu Xiaoming to express its deep concern.
00:56
'Deeply disturbing'
Hong Kong was under UK jurisdiction until Britain handed it to China in 1997 with a guarantee that Beijing would preserve the city's judicial and legislative autonomy for 50 years.
But critics say the new law -- passed by Beijing's rubber-stamp parliament this week without its text being released to the public -- tests the limits of the "One Country, Two Systems" principle that formally entered international law in 1984.
Britain's last Hong Kong governor called details of the legislation unveiled overnight "even worse than I expected".
"It is Orwellian stuff," Chris Patten told the BBC. "It does go wider and further than anybody had feared."
Britain's response to China's legislation offers a much smoother pathway to UK citizenship for millions of Hong Kongers.
Raab said Hong Kongers with BNO status and their dependents would first have the right to work or study in Britain for five years.
They would then have the right to apply for settled status then possible citizenship.
He said there would be "no quotas" and described the entire system as "bespoke".
"This is a grave and deeply disturbing step," he said of the Chinese law.
"China through this national security legislation is not living up to its promises to the people of Hong Kong. We will live up to our promises to them," he told lawmakers.
Policy review
Britain had opened itself up to closer relations with China as it sought out trading partners after ending its decades-long membership in the European Union this year.
Johnson's government also irritated the US administration in January by allowing the private Chinese telecoms group Huawei to unroll Britain's speedy new data network.
But Britain is now studying ways it can cut Huawei out of its system entirely and build up an alliance of European and Asian providers that reduces China's dominance in the field.
British condemnation of the Chinese law has spanned the political divide and seen London's Asia-focused HSBC group come under political assault for openly backing it last month.
Raab did not mention the bank by name but noted: "The rights and the freedoms and our responsibilities in this country to the people of Hong Kong should not be sacrificed on the altar of bankers' bonuses".
HSBC offered support for the law after public pressure from a pro-Beijing figure in Hong Kong who pointed to the bank's reliance on business in China.
(AFP)
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france24--2020-07-01--Scores killed as violence spreads in wake of Ethiopian singer’s death

A candlelight vigil for the late musician and activist Haacaaluu Hundeessaa at the Oromo Community of Minnesota building in St Paul , Minnesota , on June 30 , 2020 .
At least 80 people were killed in Ethiopia 's Oromiya region in protests following the fatal shooting of protest singer Haacaaluu Hundeessaa , a regional police chief said on Wednesday , laying bare splits in the prime minister 's political heartland ahead of next year 's polls .
Haacaaluu , a hugely popular figure among ethnic Oromos , was shot dead on Monday night in what police said was a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the killing of a popular figure and a sense of political marginalisation broke out the next morning in the Ethiopian capital and other towns and cities in the surrounding Oromiya region .
`` So far 81 people have been killed , including three Oromiya special police force members , '' said Ararsa Merdasa , the region 's police chief .
Police said late on Tuesday that a policeman was also killed in Addis Ababa , and three explosions there had killed and injured an unspecified number of people .
Prominent Oromo opposition leader @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were also arrested when Jawar 's bodyguards refused to disarm during a stand-off with police .
Witnesses said the military was deployed in the Ethiopian capital on Wednesday as police struggled to contain armed gangs roaming neighbourhoods .
Haacaaluu , whose funeral will be held on Thursday , provided a soundtrack to a generation of young protesters .
Their three years of bloody street demonstrations forced the unprecedented resignation of the previous prime minister and the appointment of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in 2018 .
Abiy , Haacaaluu and Jawar are all Oromo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which has long complained of being excluded from power .
Abiy ushered in greater political and economic freedoms in what had long been one of the continent 's most repressive states , and won the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize for ending conflict with neighbouring Eritrea .
But ethnic and political clashes spiked as long-repressed grievances boiled over .
Local power brokers competed for access to land and resources in a country with more than 80 ethnic groups .
Abiy 's attempts to quash the violence and his emphasis on pan-Ethiopian politics sparked a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his ability to impose order may be severely tested when polls are held .
Elections were scheduled for August but were postponed until next year due to Covid-19 .
Jawar was a prominent supporter of Abiy 's appointment , but became more openly critical last year .
Jawar 's popular Oromo Media Network gives him the ability to mobilise support quickly across Oromiya and his power base could pose a significant challenge to Abiy 's party in next year 's elections .
Ethiopia 's federal structure means power was traditionally derived by claiming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Under the previous administration , voting was rarely free or fair , and opposition activists were often jailed , tortured or driven into exile .

Ethiopia deployed its military in the capital Addis Ababa on Wednesday to quell a second day of unrest following the killing of a popular protest singer that has left more than 80 dead.
A candlelight vigil for the late musician and activist Haacaaluu Hundeessaa at the Oromo Community of Minnesota building in St Paul, Minnesota, on June 30, 2020.
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At least 80 people were killed in Ethiopia's Oromiya region in protests following the fatal shooting of protest singer Haacaaluu Hundeessaa, a regional police chief said on Wednesday, laying bare splits in the prime minister's political heartland ahead of next year's polls.
Haacaaluu, a hugely popular figure among ethnic Oromos, was shot dead on Monday night in what police said was a targeted killing.
Protests reflecting anger at the killing of a popular figure and a sense of political marginalisation broke out the next morning in the Ethiopian capital and other towns and cities in the surrounding Oromiya region.
"So far 81 people have been killed, including three Oromiya special police force members," said Ararsa Merdasa, the region's police chief.
Police said late on Tuesday that a policeman was also killed in Addis Ababa, and three explosions there had killed and injured an unspecified number of people.
01:53
Prominent Oromo opposition leader Bekele Gerba and media mogul Jawar Mohammed were also arrested when Jawar's bodyguards refused to disarm during a stand-off with police.
Witnesses said the military was deployed in the Ethiopian capital on Wednesday as police struggled to contain armed gangs roaming neighbourhoods.
Soundtrack to a generation
Haacaaluu, whose funeral will be held on Thursday, provided a soundtrack to a generation of young protesters. Their three years of bloody street demonstrations forced the unprecedented resignation of the previous prime minister and the appointment of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in 2018.
A still from the video of Haacaaluu Hundeessaa's 2015 hit Maalan Jira. © Haacaaluu Hundeessaa videos
Abiy, Haacaaluu and Jawar are all Oromo, Ethiopia's largest ethnic group, which has long complained of being excluded from power.
Abiy ushered in greater political and economic freedoms in what had long been one of the continent's most repressive states, and won the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize for ending conflict with neighbouring Eritrea.
But ethnic and political clashes spiked as long-repressed grievances boiled over. Local power brokers competed for access to land and resources in a country with more than 80 ethnic groups.
Challenge to pan-Ethiopian politics
Abiy's attempts to quash the violence and his emphasis on pan-Ethiopian politics sparked a backlash from some erstwhile supporters, and his ability to impose order may be severely tested when polls are held.
Elections were scheduled for August but were postponed until next year due to Covid-19.
Jawar was a prominent supporter of Abiy's appointment, but became more openly critical last year. Jawar's popular Oromo Media Network gives him the ability to mobilise support quickly across Oromiya and his power base could pose a significant challenge to Abiy's party in next year's elections.
Ethiopia's federal structure means power was traditionally derived by claiming the support of large ethnic voting blocs. Under the previous administration, voting was rarely free or fair, and opposition activists were often jailed, tortured or driven into exile.
(FRANCE 24 with REUTERS)
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france24--2020-07-01--France suspends role in NATO naval mission over tensions with Turkey

A French warship pictured in the port of Nice on October 12 , 2018 .
France has informed NATO that it is suspending its involvement in a naval operation in the Mediterranean after the results of a probe into an incident between French and Turkish warships , an official at the Armed Forces ministry said on Wednesday .
The official said in a letter to NATO 's Secretary-General that France had made four demands to clarify the role of the Sea Guardian operation , including its cooperation with an EU mission that is enforcing a UN arms embargo to Libya @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Turkey have soured in recent weeks over Libya , Northern Syria and drilling in the eastern Mediterranean .
France has been especially angry after accusing Turkish warships of being aggressive towards its Courbet warship after it attempted to inspect a vessel in June that it suspected was violating a United Nations arms embargo on Libya .
The Courbet was operating in the NATO Sea Guardian operation .
NATO opened an investigation after France protested during an alliance defence ministers meeting in June .
French newspaper L'Opinion reported on Wednesday that France had sent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of its decision to suspend its role in operation Sea Guardian until it had clarifications .
The French Armed Forces Ministry , Foreign Ministry and Allied Maritime Command , which heads up Sea Guardian , did not immediately respond for comment .
France has said that on June 10 Turkish warships flashed their radar lights three times at the Courbet and that Turkish sailors had also put on bullet-proof vests and stood behind their light weapons during the incident .
Turkey has dismissed the French claims as `` groundless '' .
Wednesday 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Turkey over the Libya conflict that has seen both sides exchange accusations with increasing bitterness in recent days .
Ankara supports the UN-recognised Government of National Accord ( GNA ) in the Libya conflict against rebel strongman Khalifa Haftar .
France is suspected by analysts of backing Haftar alongside Egypt , Russia and the United Arab Emirates , but insists it is neutral in the conflict .
Paris accuses Ankara of shipping arms to Libya in defiance of a UN embargo as well as sending in pro-Turkey Syrian militia fighters fresh from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seem to us healthy to maintain our assets in an operation supposed , among its various tasks , to control an embargo alongside allies who do not respect it , '' a French defence official , who asked not to be named , told reporters on Wednesday , in apparent reference to Turkey .
Paris demands in particular `` that allies solemnly reaffirm their attachment and their commitment to the respect of the embargo '' on weapons to Libya , the official added .
France 's foreign minister said European Union foreign ministers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Turkey , adding that new sanctions on Ankara could be considered .
`` At our request there will be a meeting of EU foreign ministers on July 13 solely on the Turkish question , '' Jean-Yves Le Drian told a parliamentary hearing on Wednesday .
`` Sanctions have already been taken on Turkey by the EU over Turkey 's drilling in the Cyprus economic zone .
Other sanctions may be envisaged , '' he added .
In a sign of the tensions , Turkish reports said earlier this month Turkey had arrested four @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spying for France on conservative and religious groups .

France has informed NATO that it is suspending its involvement in a naval operation in the Mediterranean after the results of a probe into an incident between French and Turkish warships, an official at the Armed Forces ministry said on Wednesday.
A French warship pictured in the port of Nice on October 12, 2018.
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The official said in a letter to NATO's Secretary-General that France had made four demands to clarify the role of the Sea Guardian operation, including its cooperation with an EU mission that is enforcing a UN arms embargo to Libya.
Ties between NATO allies France and Turkey have soured in recent weeks over Libya, Northern Syria and drilling in the eastern Mediterranean.
>> France's Macron accuses Turkey of playing 'a dangerous game' in Libya
France has been especially angry after accusing Turkish warships of being aggressive towards its Courbet warship after it attempted to inspect a vessel in June that it suspected was violating a United Nations arms embargo on Libya. The Courbet was operating in the NATO Sea Guardian operation.
NATO opened an investigation after France protested during an alliance defence ministers meeting in June.
03:56
French newspaper L'Opinion reported on Wednesday that France had sent a letter to NATO informing the alliance of its decision to suspend its role in operation Sea Guardian until it had clarifications.
The French Armed Forces Ministry, Foreign Ministry and Allied Maritime Command, which heads up Sea Guardian, did not immediately respond for comment.
France has said that on June 10 Turkish warships flashed their radar lights three times at the Courbet and that Turkish sailors had also put on bullet-proof vests and stood behind their light weapons during the incident.
Turkey has dismissed the French claims as "groundless".
France calls for respect of Libya embargo
Wednesday's decision follows an escalation in tensions with Turkey over the Libya conflict that has seen both sides exchange accusations with increasing bitterness in recent days.
Ankara supports the UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) in the Libya conflict against rebel strongman Khalifa Haftar.
France is suspected by analysts of backing Haftar alongside Egypt, Russia and the United Arab Emirates, but insists it is neutral in the conflict.
Paris accuses Ankara of shipping arms to Libya in defiance of a UN embargo as well as sending in pro-Turkey Syrian militia fighters fresh from the conflict there.
"It does not seem to us healthy to maintain our assets in an operation supposed, among its various tasks, to control an embargo alongside allies who do not respect it," a French defence official, who asked not to be named, told reporters on Wednesday, in apparent reference to Turkey.
Paris demands in particular "that allies solemnly reaffirm their attachment and their commitment to the respect of the embargo" on weapons to Libya, the official added.
France's foreign minister said European Union foreign ministers would meet on July 13 to discuss Turkey, adding that new sanctions on Ankara could be considered.
"At our request there will be a meeting of EU foreign ministers on July 13 solely on the Turkish question," Jean-Yves Le Drian told a parliamentary hearing on Wednesday.
"Sanctions have already been taken on Turkey by the EU over Turkey's drilling in the Cyprus economic zone. Other sanctions may be envisaged," he added.
In a sign of the tensions, Turkish reports said earlier this month Turkey had arrested four of its own nationals on suspicion of spying for France on conservative and religious groups.
(FRANCE 24 with REUTERS, AFP)
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france24--2020-07-01--Breaking the silence on China’s ‘two-faced’ campaign against Uighurs

More than three years after her father , a retired government official in China ’ s Uighur region , was arrested , Subi Mamat Yuksel finally spoke up about her family ’ s ordeal .
The violations may have followed official Chinese directives , but the abuse was so severe that Beijing ’ s use of fear as a tool to silence Uighur families has backfired .
On April 29 , 2017 , Subi Mamat Yuksel ’ s parents were at home in Urumqi , the main city in the Uighur region of northwestern China , packing for their flight @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Her father , a retired government official , told his wife he was just stepping out to buy last-minute gifts for their grandchildren in the Virginia area .
He never returned .
It was the start of an Orwellian ordeal that would plunge the family into a trauma of existential proportions , a nightmare that is likely being shared by millions of people of Chinese Uighur descent across the world as Beijing conducts a crushing human and cultural reordering in Xinjiang , China ’ s largest province , which borders eight countries .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , 75 , was a longtime forestry department chief in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Zone ( XUAR ) and a public figure in the Uighur community , a majority Muslim , Turkic-speaking minority .
His four-decades in the XUAR administrative service included a posting as mayor of Korla , Xinjiang ’ s second largest city .
Two of his three children – Yuksel and her elder brother , Iskandar Mamat – had studied and settled in the US .
Ever since their children arrived in America in 2007 , the couple visited frequently @ @ @ @ @ @ @ family events .
The April 2017 trip was to see the latest addition to the family , Iskandar ’ s newborn son , and it was not expected to be any different from past visits .
Little did the family know that they were about to embark on a long , dark journey that would test their resilience and relations .
“ When my Dad didn ’ t return , my Mum tried calling him , but there was no answer and she started worrying , ” recounted the 31-year-old mother of three @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from Virginia .
“ Hours later , two security officers came home and said my Dad was with them .
They took my parents ’ passports and told my Mum they were not going anywhere .
They knew my parents were leaving for the US.
” China ’ s crackdown on the Uighurs and other minority ethnic groups in Xinjiang has been systematically targeted at different demographic groups since the clampdown began in 2014 following deadly attacks in the region , which Chinese authorities blamed on Uighur militants .
The Uighur crackdown intensified @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s arrest – with mass detentions in sprawling internment camps in the remote region .
Experts such as Adrian Zenz , a leading researcher on the Uighur crisis , describe the incarceration of over a million people as “ probably the world ’ s largest internment of a ethno-religious minority group since the Holocaust ” .
Beijing initially denied the existence of the camps and later euphemistically described them as “ reeducation centres ” .
But the real intent of China ’ s pacification operation has emerged in chilling detail over the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leaks and open source official documents by investigative news teams .
Earlier this week , an AP investigation based on Zenz ’ s analysis of government statistics and documents revealed China ’ s measures to slash birth rates among Uighurs and other ethnic minorities using forced contraception in what experts call “ a form of demographic genocide ” .
In November , the New York Times published a detailed report of the orchestrated crackdown based on 403 documents leaked from inside China ’ s ruling Communist Party .
They included an official booklet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ living outside the region who inquire about disappeared relatives .
The directives appear to have been systematically followed in Abdullah ’ s case , including the use of surveillance , fake news and fear as a tool to try to stop the Uighur diaspora from speaking out .
We can ’ t really chat on WeChat Yuksel ’ s personal nightmare began before dawn on April 29 , 2017 , when her brother knocked on her door in Manassas , Virginia , to inform her their parents weren ’ t going to make @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were sketchy : their older sister in Urumqi had called Iskandar and only told him to cancel the flight tickets .
“ He noticed from her voice that something was wrong , but my sister couldn ’ t talk about the real situation and he didn ’ t ask much , ” said Yuksel .
The family uses WeChat , the do-everything app described as “ the Chinese Facebook , Twitter , Google , WhatsApp , Tinder all rolled in one ” .
Users know the app is a giant Communist Party surveillance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ since most apps are banned in China .
Under the circumstances , communication with China-based family members is fraught with silences , blather to ward off suspicions , facial signs and codes created on the fly .
But when Yuksel finally got through to her then 61-year-old mother , there was no hiding the distress .
“ My mother was sobbing .
She was so scared , she was shivering , ” said Yuksel , her voice quivering with the recollection .
“ She was shaking , she was showing me her arms @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” to signal her husband had been arrested .
“ It was 2017 , we already knew things were going bad for Uighurs in the area .
But we tried to stay calm .
My father had worked for the government for more than 40 years , we knew the news of former department chiefs getting arrested in corruption cases .
My father had retired almost 10 years ago , but my brother said may be they ’ re investigating something and want to question him and will then release him , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were a lot more serious .
Abdullah – or Maimaiti Abudula in Mandarin – was charged with bribery , being “ two-faced ” and a separatist , Yuksel explained .
Bribery is a common accusation against Chinese government officials under President Xi Jinping ’ s sweeping anti-corruption drive .
Since Abdullah had retired nearly a decade before the charges were filed , the family believed it was the least serious .
“ Two-faced ” is a term frequently used by authorities for Uighur cadres and intellectuals who have lost their old role as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ community .
Over the past three years , several Xinjiang university professors and presidents have been fired and put into “ reeducation ” camps for being “ two-faced ” or paying lip service to the ruling party while their loyalties lie with their ethnic group .
The separatist charge , Yuksel notes was “ because of me and my brother .
We live in Virginia , there ’ s a large Uighur community here , it ’ s close to Washington DC , all the protests are in this area and China doesn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she explained .
China ’ s targeting of the diaspora has been documented in an Amnesty report , “ Nowhere Feels Safe ” , which noted that several Uighurs abroad said they were “ warned that family members would be detained if they did not return to Xinjiang or that they would not be able to see their family again if they did not provide information on other Uyghurs [ sic ] living in their community ” .
Information on family members in the US appeared to be the focus of the questioning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ subjected to for months for Abdullah ’ s arrest .
“ For the first two months , my mother and sister were taken for questioning almost every single day for eight straight hours , ” she said .
“ My mother and sister didn ’ t tell me exactly what happened , but they were mad at us because the brainwashing there is so strong .
They [ Chinese security officials ] tell you it ’ s because your son and daughter abroad are enemies of the Chinese government .
I can not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she insisted .
“ I could sense the questioning was so intense , they couldn ’ t bear it .
Instead of getting angry with their interrogators , they got angry with us.
” A letter from her father in an unknown detention camp , a photograph of which was sent to Yuksel , had clearer signs of intimidation .
“ My Dad is known for his beautiful handwriting in Han Chinese and our Uighur language .
The letter started with his beautiful writing .
But in the parts he accused us and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the country , the handwriting was so bad , it was obvious they forced my Dad to write that letter to us , ” she explained .
The family in Urumqi meanwhile were not given access to Abdullah or told of his whereabouts .
They only saw him more than two years later , at his first court hearing in September 2019 .
Yuksel ’ s mother was denied access into the court , but her elder sister was allowed in after kicking up a fuss .
“ My mother was sitting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ my Dad being taken into court in chains with other prisoners .
They tried to make eye contact , but the police pushed him .
He had lost weight and couldn ’ t balance himself .
That broke my Mum ’ s heart seeing Dad in that state , ” explained Yuksel .
“ My poor sister had to stay calm in court .
She had to stay strong , silently , trying to make eye contact with my Dad , trying not to cry.
” The verdict was delivered at the end @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her father ’ s lawyer the opportunity to defend his client .
Abdullah was found guilty on all counts .
The family filed an appeal but heard nothing until the lawyer phoned to inform them a follow-up trial had been held in December 2019 .
The guilty verdict was upheld .
Abdullah was sentenced to life in prison , the family was informed .
“ My sister went to the lawyer and tried to get a copy or at least take a photograph of the order .
But the lawyer refused , she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ remember this ’ ?
But the lawyer was very rude .
He ’ s Han Chinese , there ’ s really no law there , it ’ s useless even hiring a lawyer , ” she sighed .
The life in prison sentence , with no further course of repeal , was the final straw for Yuksel and her brother in Virginia .
“ For three years , we said nothing .
We felt guilty , but we didn ’ t want to do anything that would endanger him .
My mother and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ evidence against him .
We were so afraid , ” Yuksel explained .
With the sentencing , Yuksel and Iskandar concluded they had nothing left to lose .
The coronavirus outbreak had by then shut down parts of China .
Concerns over the spread of the disease in crowded detention camps were mounting .
The complete media blackout made it impossible to ascertain the situation inside the camps .
But on the streets , the distress could not be hidden .
Video clips emerged of residents screaming at officials that their families were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the streets flouting lockdown rules calmly asked officials if they were supposed to eat buildings .
On February 26 , Yuksel broke her silence and spoke at a Uyghur Human Rights Project press conference in the US capital .
The experience was life-changing .
“ I was so nervous .
But after I finished , I can not explain how I felt .
It was like ... it felt like a window had opened and the wind was on my chest , that I could finally breathe from my chest and not my @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I have goosebumps , I can ’ t express it , ” she apologised .
The trauma of Uighur families across the world silenced by fear , crushed by survivor ’ s guilt , cowered by an all-seeing , all-powerful state and helpless against the injustice is an overlooked aspect of China ’ s oppressive operations in Xinjiang .
Yuksel ’ s private nightmare raged as she finished her studies in business administration and coped , with her husband , with three young children .
“ What can I even tell people ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ are happening in the 21st century , ” she explained .
Speaking up in such cases is calculated to let oppressors know the abuse will not go unnoticed and designed to save loved ones from gross violations .
But it also captures attention and in China ’ s case , the onslaught of the state ’ s aggressive “ wolf warrior ” push-back , including denials , deceptions and fake news campaigns .
Yuksel realised she was in the Orwellian propaganda machine ’ s sights last month , when the state-owned Global Times @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about her testimony in “ some US media reports ” .
Abdullah , the article claimed , had been imprisoned for “ bribery and the abuse of power ” and not “ for being two-faced person ” [ sic ] .
His daughter ’ s “ accusation was completely fabricated and aimed at misleading international opinion , ” said the Global Times , noting that “ Corruption is a tumor to social development and is detested by people.
” Corruption is also a tool used by the Xi administration as “ an effective @ @ @ @ @ @ @ according to experts .
Between 2012 , when Xi came to power , and 2018 , more than 1.5 million Chinese government officials were found guilty of “ a variety of corruption-related charges ” .
The state-owned Global Times is also led by an outspoken chief editor , Hu Xinjin , who has gained notoriety for his tirades and trolls against Beijing ’ s critics on Twitter – an app banned inside China .
But for Yuksel , a newcomer to the personalised world of Chinese propaganda , the experience was initially rattling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ No two-faced , no separatist charges ?
I tried to call reporters to find out what ’ s going on .
I contacted my mother and explained it carefully and she was shocked .
My brother called the lawyer and asked for the final verdict but the lawyer hung up .
I didn ’ t know what to do , ” she recounted .
The Virginia mother is now wiser to the ways of the Chinese state .
“ They ’ re lying .
They do anything to try to discredit you , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the government is lying about their own lies , ” she dismissed .
But while she ’ s happy with her decision to speak out , Yuksel is still unsure of how to proceed .
“ So they said it was only corruption , not “ two-faced ” .
But they ’ ve also made it tricky to react .
I don ’ t want it to just settle and for the state to have its way , which is just keeping the situation as it is , ” she explained .
For @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trying to get her father released .
On Father ’ s Day , the young woman from Urumqi who confessed , “ I wish I didn ’ t have to do this .
I ’ m not a person who can speak easily in public , it ’ s so scary ” released a video clip on Twitter asking , once again , for Abdullah ’ s release .
“ He would always tell me , no matter what , always seek the light at the end of the tunnel , ” she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ As I face difficulties today , this is what I remember .
Happy Father ’ s Day , Dad .
I miss you so much .
I will see you soon at the end of the tunnel .
”

Witness account
More than three years after her father, a retired government official in China’s Uighur region, was arrested, Subi Mamat Yuksel finally spoke up about her family’s ordeal. The violations may have followed official Chinese directives, but the abuse was so severe that Beijing’s use of fear as a tool to silence Uighur families has backfired.
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On April 29, 2017, Subi Mamat Yuksel’s parents were at home in Urumqi, the main city in the Uighur region of northwestern China, packing for their flight to the US the next day. Her father, a retired government official, told his wife he was just stepping out to buy last-minute gifts for their grandchildren in the Virginia area. He never returned.
It was the start of an Orwellian ordeal that would plunge the family into a trauma of existential proportions, a nightmare that is likely being shared by millions of people of Chinese Uighur descent across the world as Beijing conducts a crushing human and cultural reordering in Xinjiang, China’s largest province, which borders eight countries.
Yuksel’s father, Mamat Abdullah, 75, was a longtime forestry department chief in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Zone (XUAR) and a public figure in the Uighur community, a majority Muslim, Turkic-speaking minority. His four-decades in the XUAR administrative service included a posting as mayor of Korla, Xinjiang’s second largest city.
Mamat Abdullah is also a talented musician and painter. © Handout via Subi Mamat Yuksel
Two of his three children – Yuksel and her elder brother, Iskandar Mamat – had studied and settled in the US. Ever since their children arrived in America in 2007, the couple visited frequently, bearing gifts and local delicacies for family events.
Mamat Abdullah at his youngest daughters wedding in June 2013 in the US. © Handout via Subi Mamat Yuksel
The April 2017 trip was to see the latest addition to the family, Iskandar’s newborn son, and it was not expected to be any different from past visits. Little did the family know that they were about to embark on a long, dark journey that would test their resilience and relations.
“When my Dad didn’t return, my Mum tried calling him, but there was no answer and she started worrying,” recounted the 31-year-old mother of three in a phone interview with FRANCE 24 from Virginia. “Hours later, two security officers came home and said my Dad was with them. They took my parents’ passports and told my Mum they were not going anywhere. They knew my parents were leaving for the US.”
China’s crackdown on the Uighurs and other minority ethnic groups in Xinjiang has been systematically targeted at different demographic groups since the clampdown began in 2014 following deadly attacks in the region, which Chinese authorities blamed on Uighur militants.
The Uighur crackdown intensified in 2017 – the year of Abdullah’s arrest – with mass detentions in sprawling internment camps in the remote region. Experts such as Adrian Zenz, a leading researcher on the Uighur crisis, describe the incarceration of over a million people as “probably the world’s largest internment of a ethno-religious minority group since the Holocaust”.
‘A form of demographic genocide’
Beijing initially denied the existence of the camps and later euphemistically described them as “reeducation centres”. But the real intent of China’s pacification operation has emerged in chilling detail over the past few months with the publication of leaks and open source official documents by investigative news teams.
Earlier this week, an AP investigation based on Zenz’s analysis of government statistics and documents revealed China’s measures to slash birth rates among Uighurs and other ethnic minorities using forced contraception in what experts call “a form of demographic genocide”.
In November, the New York Times published a detailed report of the orchestrated crackdown based on 403 documents leaked from inside China’s ruling Communist Party. They included an official booklet on how to deceive Uighur family members living outside the region who inquire about disappeared relatives.
The directives appear to have been systematically followed in Abdullah’s case, including the use of surveillance, fake news and fear as a tool to try to stop the Uighur diaspora from speaking out.
We can’t really chat on WeChat
Yuksel’s personal nightmare began before dawn on April 29, 2017, when her brother knocked on her door in Manassas, Virginia, to inform her their parents weren’t going to make it to the US. The details were sketchy: their older sister in Urumqi had called Iskandar and only told him to cancel the flight tickets.
“He noticed from her voice that something was wrong, but my sister couldn’t talk about the real situation and he didn’t ask much,” said Yuksel.
The family uses WeChat, the do-everything app described as “the Chinese Facebook, Twitter, Google, WhatsApp, Tinder all rolled in one”. Users know the app is a giant Communist Party surveillance tool, but they have little choice since most apps are banned in China.
Under the circumstances, communication with China-based family members is fraught with silences, blather to ward off suspicions, facial signs and codes created on the fly.
But when Yuksel finally got through to her then 61-year-old mother, there was no hiding the distress.
“My mother was sobbing. She was so scared, she was shivering,” said Yuksel, her voice quivering with the recollection. “She was shaking, she was showing me her arms, she was holding her wrists together,” to signal her husband had been arrested.
“It was 2017, we already knew things were going bad for Uighurs in the area. But we tried to stay calm. My father had worked for the government for more than 40 years, we knew the news of former department chiefs getting arrested in corruption cases. My father had retired almost 10 years ago, but my brother said may be they’re investigating something and want to question him and will then release him,” she said.
‘Two-faced’, three charges
But the accusations were a lot more serious. Abdullah – or Maimaiti Abudula in Mandarin – was charged with bribery, being “two-faced” and a separatist, Yuksel explained.
Bribery is a common accusation against Chinese government officials under President Xi Jinping’s sweeping anti-corruption drive. Since Abdullah had retired nearly a decade before the charges were filed, the family believed it was the least serious.
“Two-faced” is a term frequently used by authorities for Uighur cadres and intellectuals who have lost their old role as mediators between the Communist Party and the community. Over the past three years, several Xinjiang university professors and presidents have been fired and put into “reeducation” camps for being “two-faced” or paying lip service to the ruling party while their loyalties lie with their ethnic group.
The separatist charge, Yuksel notes was “because of me and my brother. We live in Virginia, there’s a large Uighur community here, it’s close to Washington DC, all the protests are in this area and China doesn’t like this area,” she explained.
Nowhere safe: silencing the diaspora
China’s targeting of the diaspora has been documented in an Amnesty report, “Nowhere Feels Safe”, which noted that several Uighurs abroad said they were “warned that family members would be detained if they did not return to Xinjiang or that they would not be able to see their family again if they did not provide information on other Uyghurs [sic] living in their community”.
Information on family members in the US appeared to be the focus of the questioning Yuksel’s mother and sister were subjected to for months for Abdullah’s arrest.
“For the first two months, my mother and sister were taken for questioning almost every single day for eight straight hours,” she said. “My mother and sister didn’t tell me exactly what happened, but they were mad at us because the brainwashing there is so strong. They [Chinese security officials] tell you it’s because your son and daughter abroad are enemies of the Chinese government. I cannot blame my mother and sister,” she insisted. “I could sense the questioning was so intense, they couldn’t bear it. Instead of getting angry with their interrogators, they got angry with us.”
A letter from her father in an unknown detention camp, a photograph of which was sent to Yuksel, had clearer signs of intimidation.
“My Dad is known for his beautiful handwriting in Han Chinese and our Uighur language. The letter started with his beautiful writing. But in the parts he accused us and told us to come back and apologise to the country, the handwriting was so bad, it was obvious they forced my Dad to write that letter to us,” she explained.
Guilty as planned, sentenced to life
The family in Urumqi meanwhile were not given access to Abdullah or told of his whereabouts. They only saw him more than two years later, at his first court hearing in September 2019.
It was a traumatic experience.
Yuksel’s mother was denied access into the court, but her elder sister was allowed in after kicking up a fuss. “My mother was sitting on a bench outside and she saw my Dad being taken into court in chains with other prisoners. They tried to make eye contact, but the police pushed him. He had lost weight and couldn’t balance himself. That broke my Mum’s heart seeing Dad in that state,” explained Yuksel. “My poor sister had to stay calm in court. She had to stay strong, silently, trying to make eye contact with my Dad, trying not to cry.”
The verdict was delivered at the end of the court session that barely granted her father’s lawyer the opportunity to defend his client. Abdullah was found guilty on all counts.
The family filed an appeal but heard nothing until the lawyer phoned to inform them a follow-up trial had been held in December 2019. The guilty verdict was upheld. Abdullah was sentenced to life in prison, the family was informed.
“My sister went to the lawyer and tried to get a copy or at least take a photograph of the order. But the lawyer refused, she kept pleading, ‘How can I remember this’? But the lawyer was very rude. He’s Han Chinese, there’s really no law there, it’s useless even hiring a lawyer,” she sighed.
Hunger in the Covid-19 era
The life in prison sentence, with no further course of repeal, was the final straw for Yuksel and her brother in Virginia. “For three years, we said nothing. We felt guilty, but we didn’t want to do anything that would endanger him. My mother and sister said it would be used as evidence against him. We were so afraid,” Yuksel explained.
With the sentencing, Yuksel and Iskandar concluded they had nothing left to lose. The coronavirus outbreak had by then shut down parts of China. Concerns over the spread of the disease in crowded detention camps were mounting.
The complete media blackout made it impossible to ascertain the situation inside the camps. But on the streets, the distress could not be hidden. Video clips emerged of residents screaming at officials that their families were starving. Old Uighur men caught on the streets flouting lockdown rules calmly asked officials if they were supposed to eat buildings.
On February 26, Yuksel broke her silence and spoke at a Uyghur Human Rights Project press conference in the US capital. The experience was life-changing. “I was so nervous. But after I finished, I cannot explain how I felt. It was like... it felt like a window had opened and the wind was on my chest, that I could finally breathe from my chest and not my mouth. I’m sorry, I have goosebumps, I can’t express it,” she apologised.
Subi Mamat Yuksel campaigning for her father's release in February 2020 in Washington DC. © Handout via Subi Mamat Yuksel
The trauma of Uighur families across the world silenced by fear, crushed by survivor’s guilt, cowered by an all-seeing, all-powerful state and helpless against the injustice is an overlooked aspect of China’s oppressive operations in Xinjiang.
Yuksel’s private nightmare raged as she finished her studies in business administration and coped, with her husband, with three young children. “What can I even tell people? They won’t believe such things are happening in the 21st century,” she explained.
State pushes back, but fails to intimidate
Speaking up in such cases is calculated to let oppressors know the abuse will not go unnoticed and designed to save loved ones from gross violations. But it also captures attention and in China’s case, the onslaught of the state’s aggressive “wolf warrior” push-back, including denials, deceptions and fake news campaigns.
>> Read more on China’s ‘wolf warriors’
Yuksel realised she was in the Orwellian propaganda machine’s sights last month, when the state-owned Global Times published a piece rejecting “rumors” about her testimony in “some US media reports”.
Abdullah, the article claimed, had been imprisoned for “bribery and the abuse of power” and not “for being two-faced person” [sic].
His daughter’s “accusation was completely fabricated and aimed at misleading international opinion,” said the Global Times, noting that “Corruption is a tumor to social development and is detested by people.”
Corruption is also a tool used by the Xi administration as “an effective method of pursuing political goals,” according to experts. Between 2012, when Xi came to power, and 2018, more than 1.5 million Chinese government officials were found guilty of “a variety of corruption-related charges”.
The state-owned Global Times is also led by an outspoken chief editor, Hu Xinjin, who has gained notoriety for his tirades and trolls against Beijing’s critics on Twitter – an app banned inside China.
But for Yuksel, a newcomer to the personalised world of Chinese propaganda, the experience was initially rattling. “We were so shocked. No two-faced, no separatist charges? I tried to call reporters to find out what’s going on. I contacted my mother and explained it carefully and she was shocked. My brother called the lawyer and asked for the final verdict but the lawyer hung up. I didn’t know what to do,” she recounted.
The Virginia mother is now wiser to the ways of the Chinese state. “They’re lying. They do anything to try to discredit you, they’re so shameless. Now the government is lying about their own lies,” she dismissed.
But while she’s happy with her decision to speak out, Yuksel is still unsure of how to proceed. “So they said it was only corruption, not “two-faced”. But they’ve also made it tricky to react. I don’t want it to just settle and for the state to have its way, which is just keeping the situation as it is,” she explained.
For now, Yuksel is sticking on-message, trying to get her father released. On Father’s Day, the young woman from Urumqi who confessed, “I wish I didn’t have to do this. I’m not a person who can speak easily in public, it’s so scary” released a video clip on Twitter asking, once again, for Abdullah’s release.
“He would always tell me, no matter what, always seek the light at the end of the tunnel,” she said looking directly at the camera. “As I face difficulties today, this is what I remember. Happy Father’s Day, Dad. I miss you so much. I will see you soon at the end of the tunnel.”
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france24--2020-07-01--Palestinians rally against Israeli annexation as West Bank goes on Covid-19 lockdown

A Palestinian man wears a mask during a rally against Israel 's West Bank annexation plans in the Jordan Valley village of Bardala on June 27 , 2020 .
Thousands of Palestinians protested in Gaza on Wednesday against Israel 's plans to annex parts of the West Bank , where Palestinian authorities announced a new five-day lockdown amid a worrying resurgence of the coronavirus .
Israel 's centre-right coalition government had set July 1 as the date from which it could begin implementing US President Donald Trump 's Middle East peace proposal .
While no major announcement was expected on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said talks with US officials `` were continuing on the application of sovereignty '' .
Netanyahu was also discussing annexation with his security chiefs , it added , noting that `` further discussions will be held in the coming days '' .
In Gaza City , several thousand protesters gathered , some brandishing Palestinian flags and placards condemning Trump at a rally .
`` The resistance must be revived , '' Gaza protester Rafeeq Inaiah told AFP .
`` Israel is afraid of force . ''
Smaller demonstrations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Ramallah and Jericho , attended by a handful of left-wing Israeli politicians opposed to annexation .
`` We want to affirm our support for peace , '' former Labour party official Ophir Pines-Paz told AFP .
The Trump plan , unveiled in January , offered a path for Israel to annex territory and Jewish West Bank settlements , communities considered illegal under international law .
Netanyahu supports the Trump plan – which has been roundly rejected by the Palestinians – but the right-wing premier has not laid out his intentions for enacting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Islamist group that controls Gaza , fired some 20 rockets from the coastal Palestinian enclave into the Mediterranean Sea on Wednesday , a move aimed at dissuading Israel from moving forward , Hamas sources told AFP .
Hamas , which has fought three wars with Israel since 2008 , says that Israeli annexations in the West Bank , which borders Jordan , would be a `` declaration of war '' .
France 's foreign minister said on Wednesday that any Israeli annexation in the occupied West Bank would be in violation of international @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Annexation of Palestinian territories , whatever the perimeters , would seriously throw into question the parameters to resolve the conflict , '' Jean-Yves Le Drian told a parliamentary hearing .
`` An annexation decision could not be left without consequences and we are examining different options at a national level and also in coordination with our main European partners , '' he added .
Writing in Israel 's Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper on Wednesday , Britain 's Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that although he was a `` passionate defender of Israel '' , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Israel 's own long-term interests . ''
`` Annexation would represent a violation of international law , '' he said .
Australia , in a rare criticism of Israel , warned against `` unilateral annexation or change in status of territory on the West Bank '' .
Most European states and the United Nations oppose annexation , as do Gulf Arab states , with which Israel has increasingly sought warmer ties .
Jordan , one of only two Arab nations that has diplomatic ties with Israel , has warned that annexation could trigger @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not ruled out reviewing its 1994 peace treaty with the Jewish state .
Amnesty International 's deputy Middle East chief Saleh Hijazi said : `` International law is crystal clear on this matter – annexation is unlawful '' , adding that if Israel moves forward it `` points to the 'law of the jungle. '
'' .
Israel 's defence minister and alternate prime minister Benny Gantz has said annexation must wait until the coronavirus crisis has been contained , amid a sharp spike in new Israeli and Palestinian cases .
The Palestinian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ across the West Bank after total confirmed coronavirus infections in the territory more than doubled following the easing of previous restrictions .
`` Starting from Friday morning , all governorates of the West Bank ... will be closed for a period of five days , '' government spokesman Ibrahim Melhem said , adding that pharmacies , bakeries and supermarkets were exempt .
The latest data from the Palestinian ministry of health said that as of Wednesday morning , a total of 2,636 people had tested positive for Covid-19 since the illness was first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with just 1,256 a week ago .
Last week , after the easing of a previous coronavirus lockdown in late May , Palestinian health minister Mai al-Kaila said the territory had entered a second wave of infections `` more dangerous than the first '' .
Most infections were traceable to Palestinians working in Israel or Arab Israeli visitors to the West Bank , Kaila said .
There have been seven deaths from the virus in the territory .
Israel has also recorded a surge , with 25,547 confirmed cases on Wednesday morning , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ earlier .
The Palestinian Authority imposed a full West Bank lockdown after the first coronavirus cases were identified on 5 March , lifting it at the end of May .

Thousands of Palestinians protested in Gaza on Wednesday against Israel's plans to annex parts of the West Bank, where Palestinian authorities announced a new five-day lockdown amid a worrying resurgence of the coronavirus.
A Palestinian man wears a mask during a rally against Israel's West Bank annexation plans in the Jordan Valley village of Bardala on June 27, 2020.
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Israel's centre-right coalition government had set July 1 as the date from which it could begin implementing US President Donald Trump's Middle East peace proposal.
While no major announcement was expected on the kick-off date, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said talks with US officials "were continuing on the application of sovereignty".
Netanyahu was also discussing annexation with his security chiefs, it added, noting that "further discussions will be held in the coming days".
In Gaza City, several thousand protesters gathered, some brandishing Palestinian flags and placards condemning Trump at a rally.
"The resistance must be revived," Gaza protester Rafeeq Inaiah told AFP. "Israel is afraid of force."
Smaller demonstrations were held in the West Bank cities of Ramallah and Jericho, attended by a handful of left-wing Israeli politicians opposed to annexation.
"We want to affirm our support for peace," former Labour party official Ophir Pines-Paz told AFP.
The Trump plan, unveiled in January, offered a path for Israel to annex territory and Jewish West Bank settlements, communities considered illegal under international law.
Netanyahu supports the Trump plan – which has been roundly rejected by the Palestinians – but the right-wing premier has not laid out his intentions for enacting the US proposals.
Hamas, the Islamist group that controls Gaza, fired some 20 rockets from the coastal Palestinian enclave into the Mediterranean Sea on Wednesday, a move aimed at dissuading Israel from moving forward, Hamas sources told AFP.
Hamas, which has fought three wars with Israel since 2008, says that Israeli annexations in the West Bank, which borders Jordan, would be a "declaration of war".
Growing global opposition
France's foreign minister said on Wednesday that any Israeli annexation in the occupied West Bank would be in violation of international law and would have consequences.
"Annexation of Palestinian territories, whatever the perimeters, would seriously throw into question the parameters to resolve the conflict," Jean-Yves Le Drian told a parliamentary hearing.
"An annexation decision could not be left without consequences and we are examining different options at a national level and also in coordination with our main European partners," he added.
Writing in Israel's Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper on Wednesday, Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that although he was a "passionate defender of Israel", he viewed annexation as "contrary to Israel's own long-term interests."
"Annexation would represent a violation of international law," he said.
Australia, in a rare criticism of Israel, warned against "unilateral annexation or change in status of territory on the West Bank".
Most European states and the United Nations oppose annexation, as do Gulf Arab states, with which Israel has increasingly sought warmer ties.
Jordan, one of only two Arab nations that has diplomatic ties with Israel, has warned that annexation could trigger a "massive conflict" and has not ruled out reviewing its 1994 peace treaty with the Jewish state.
Amnesty International's deputy Middle East chief Saleh Hijazi said: "International law is crystal clear on this matter – annexation is unlawful", adding that if Israel moves forward it "points to the 'law of the jungle.'".
Covid-19 second wave
Israel's defence minister and alternate prime minister Benny Gantz has said annexation must wait until the coronavirus crisis has been contained, amid a sharp spike in new Israeli and Palestinian cases.
The Palestinian Authority on Wednesday announced a five-day lockdown across the West Bank after total confirmed coronavirus infections in the territory more than doubled following the easing of previous restrictions.
"Starting from Friday morning, all governorates of the West Bank... will be closed for a period of five days," government spokesman Ibrahim Melhem said, adding that pharmacies, bakeries and supermarkets were exempt.
The latest data from the Palestinian ministry of health said that as of Wednesday morning, a total of 2,636 people had tested positive for Covid-19 since the illness was first recorded in the West Bank, compared with just 1,256 a week ago.
Last week, after the easing of a previous coronavirus lockdown in late May, Palestinian health minister Mai al-Kaila said the territory had entered a second wave of infections "more dangerous than the first".
Most infections were traceable to Palestinians working in Israel or Arab Israeli visitors to the West Bank, Kaila said.
There have been seven deaths from the virus in the territory.
Israel has also recorded a surge, with 25,547 confirmed cases on Wednesday morning, up around 15 percent from a week earlier.
The Palestinian Authority imposed a full West Bank lockdown after the first coronavirus cases were identified on 5 March, lifting it at the end of May.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
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france24--2020-07-01--Russian voters back reform allowing Putin to extend rule

Russians appeared to have paved the way for Vladimir Putin to stay in power until 2036 by voting overwhelmingly for a package of constitutional changes which will also boost pensions , partial results of a nationwide vote showed on Wednesday .
Results , after almost a third of ballots had been counted , indicated that the former KGB officer who has ruled Russia for more than two decades as president or prime minister would easily win the right to run for two more terms .
That means he could remain president for 16 more years .
The Central Election Commission @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the world 's largest country had supported changing the constitution .
Just under 25 % had voted no of the 30 % of ballots counted .
Russians have been encouraged to vote with prize draws offering flats and an ad campaign highlighting other constitutional amendments in the same reform bundle , such as the pensions protection and a de facto ban on same-sex marriages .
One-off payments of 10,000 roubles ( $ 141 ) were transferred to those with children at Putin 's order as people headed to polling stations on Wednesday , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ held over seven days to try to limit the spread of the coronavirus .
`` I voted for the amendments to the constitution , '' Moscow resident Mikhail Volkov said .
`` We need radical changes and I 'm for them . ''
Others voted for the changes with less enthusiasm .
`` I did n't read about the amendments if I 'm honest , '' another voter , Lyudmila , said .
`` What 's the point of voting if they 've already decided for you .
It 's like that in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
I voted . ''
Turnout was around 65 % , election officials said .
The required turnout is 50 % and the amendments will pass if they are backed by a simple majority of voters .
Putin , 67 , made no mention of how the changes could affect his own career in an eve-of-vote speech on Tuesday .
They would allow him to run for another two six-year , consecutive stints after his current term expires in 2024 .
Putin has said he has yet to decide on his future .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ run again , but some analysts say he may want to keep his options open to avoid becoming a lame duck .
At 60 % , according to the Levada pollster , his approval rating remains high but well down on its peak of nearly 90 % .
With Russia reporting thousands of new Covid-19 cases each day , opponents have been unable to stage protests but have mocked the vote online , sharing photographs of polling stations in apartment stairwells , courtyards and the boot of a car .
A small group @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Red Square on Wednesday afternoon using their prostrate bodies to form the date — 2036 — before being swiftly detained by police , TV Rain reported .
The `` No !
Campaign , '' called on supporters to vote against the changes and then discuss the result on Moscow 's Pushkinskaya Square while respecting social distancing rules .
`` We need to remind the authorities that we exist and that there are tens of millions of us who do not want Putin to rule until 2036 , '' Andrei Pivovarov , an activist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In the event , dozens turned out amid a heavy police presence .
One masked protester stood with a sign saying `` I/We are the constitution , '' while others chanted `` Russia will be free . ''
Other slogans suggested the best constitutional amendment would be for Putin to resign .
The opposition Communist Party , which has advised supporters to vote `` no '' , has complained of irregularities .
Gennady Zyuganov , its leader , said that Putin and voters needed to weigh the consequences of sticking to the Russian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had failed the economy .
`` Putin needs to choose , '' said Zyuganov .
`` For him the moment of truth is coming . ''
Putin had said he wanted a clean vote , something election officials had pledged to deliver .
Golos , a non-governmental organisation that monitors elections , has said it will not be able to confirm the outcome of the vote as legitimate .

Russians have paved the way for President Vladimir Putin to stay in power until 2036 by voting overwhelmingly for a raft of constitutional changes that will also boost pensions, official results of a nationwide vote showed Thursday.
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Russians opened the door to Vladimir Putin staying in power until 2036 by voting overwhelmingly for constitutional changes that will allow him to run again for president twice, but critics said the outcome was falsified on an industrial scale.
Official results published on Thursday, after 100% of ballots had been counted, showed that the former KGB officer who has ruled Russia for more than two decades as president or prime minister had easily won the right to run for two more six-year terms after the current one ends in 2024.
That means Putin, 67, could rule until the age of 83.
The Central Election Commission said 77.9% of votes counted across the world’s largest country had supported changing the constitution. Just over 21.2% had voted against, it said.
Ella Pamfilova, head of the commission, said the vote had been transparent and that officials had done everything to ensure its integrity.
Opposition politician Alexei Navalny had a different view and called the vote an illegitimate and illegal show designed to legalise Putin’s presidency for life.
“We’ll never recognise this result,” Navalny told supporters in a video.
Navalny said the opposition would not protest for now because of the novel coronavirus pandemic, but would do so in big numbers in the autumn if its candidates were blocked from taking part in regional elections or their results were falsified.
“What Putin fears most is the street,” said Navalny. “He ... will not leave until we start to take to the streets in the hundreds of thousands and in the millions.”
Russians had been encouraged to back Putin’s power move, described by critics as a constitutional coup, with prize draws offering flats and an ad campaign highlighting other constitutional amendments in the same reform bundle, such as pensions protection and a de facto ban on same-sex marriages.
One-off payments of 10,000 roubles ($141) were transferred to those with children at Putin’s order as people headed to polling stations on Wednesday, the last day of the vote, held over seven days to try to limit the spread of the virus.
Moscow resident Mikhail Volkov said he’d voted in favour of the reforms. “We need radical changes and I’m for them,” he said.
'Read something and vote'
Others were less enthusiastic.
“I didn’t read about the amendments if I’m honest,” Lyudmila, another voter, said. “What’s the point of voting if they’ve already decided for you. It’s like that in our country - read something and vote. I voted.”
Turnout was 65%, election officials said.
Putin, already the longest-serving leader in modern Russian history since Soviet dictator Josef Stalin, made no mention of how the changes could affect his own career in an eve-of-vote speech on Tuesday.
He has said he has yet to decide on his future. Critics, who liken Putin to a latter-day Tsar, say they are sure he will run again, but some analysts say he may want to keep his options open to avoid becoming a lame duck.
At 60%, according to the Levada pollster, his approval rating remains high but well down on its peak of nearly 90%.
With Russia reporting thousands of new COVID-19 cases each day, opponents have been unable to stage protests but have mocked the vote online, sharing photographs of polling stations in apartment stairwells, supermarket trolleys and the boot of a car.
A small group of activists staged a symbolic protest at the Red Square on Wednesday afternoon, using their prostrate bodies to form the year 2036 before being swiftly detained by police, TV Rain reported.
Separately, the “No! Campaign,” called on supporters to head for Moscow’s Pushkinskaya Square after voting.
“We need to remind the authorities that we exist and that there are tens of millions of us who do not want Putin to rule until 2036,” Andrei Pivovarov, an activist, said in a video.
In the event, only dozens turned out amid a heavy police presence, a Reuters reporter said. Opposition politicians said a couple of hundred had attended. Those who did chanted “Russia will be free.” Another slogan suggested Putin should resign.
Golos, a non-governmental organisation that monitors elections, cited numerous irregularities with the vote and said it would not be able to confirm the outcome as legitimate.
(REUTERS)
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france24--2020-07-01--3D-printed fake meat: The healthier, greener future of food?

Israeli firm Redefine Meat is using 3D printing technology to produce plant-based steaks designed to mimic real meat and plans to start selling them in restaurants later this year .
With a handful of other firms working on similar technology , could 3D-printed meat soon provide a healthier and greener alternative to the real thing ?
The process used by Redefine sees protein taken from plants that are then built up in layers by a 3D printer to produce an entirely plant-based steak .
`` We analyse the different components that make those beautiful cuts and try to figure out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ need to mimic in order to achieve those beautiful cuts of meat , ” Redefine Meat food engineer Alexey Tomsov told Reuters .
“ We identified three main components : the muscle , the blood and the fat .
These are the components that we need to mimic on order to reach the perfect , beautiful steak . ''
In Spain , a company called Novameat has begun producing its own version of a plant-based 3D-printed steak and also makes a pork-style product .
Meanwhile , another Israeli company , MeaTech 3D , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ steaks .
These companies say their products are not only healthier , as they are lower in cholesterol , but also much better for the environment than meat produced by farming , which has been highlighted by the UN as a major contributor to climate change , in part through the methane emitted by cattle .
“ Our technology can create whole-muscle cuts just as a cow can produce that but in a much more efficient way , with a lower cost and , of course , it 's much better for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ben-Shitrit told Reuters .
“ This is the biggest problem we face today as humanity and this is the best way to fight climate change , to deliver healthier solutions and food to the entire population of the planet . ''
Meat-alternative products are already growing in popularity in many countries across the world and their share of the market is predicted to be worth €7.2 billion ( $ 8.1bn ) by 2026 , according to figures from Fortune Business Insights .
But Redefine Meat and others claim the 3D printing process can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ real meat , while reducing costs once the technology is scaled up .
“ We can do the entire cow , not only one part of the cow .
Steaks , roast , slow-cooking , grilling , everything that an animal can do we want to do the same or even better , ” said Ben-Shitrit .
“ We want to work with more and more chefs around the world , more and more big distributors , and we do n't see a reason that this can not be on the table of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''

Israeli firm Redefine Meat is using 3D printing technology to produce plant-based steaks designed to mimic real meat and plans to start selling them in restaurants later this year. With a handful of other firms working on similar technology, could 3D-printed meat soon provide a healthier and greener alternative to the real thing?
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The process used by Redefine sees protein taken from plants that are then built up in layers by a 3D printer to produce an entirely plant-based steak.
"We analyse the different components that make those beautiful cuts and try to figure out which are the key components that we need to mimic in order to achieve those beautiful cuts of meat,” Redefine Meat food engineer Alexey Tomsov told Reuters.
“We identified three main components: the muscle, the blood and the fat. These are the components that we need to mimic on order to reach the perfect, beautiful steak."
In Spain, a company called Novameat has begun producing its own version of a plant-based 3D-printed steak and also makes a pork-style product.
Meanwhile, another Israeli company, MeaTech 3D, is using lab-grown meat in its 3D-printed steaks.
These companies say their products are not only healthier, as they are lower in cholesterol, but also much better for the environment than meat produced by farming, which has been highlighted by the UN as a major contributor to climate change, in part through the methane emitted by cattle.
“Our technology can create whole-muscle cuts just as a cow can produce that but in a much more efficient way, with a lower cost and, of course, it's much better for the environment,” Redefine Meat CEO Eshchar Ben-Shitrit told Reuters.
“This is the biggest problem we face today as humanity and this is the best way to fight climate change, to deliver healthier solutions and food to the entire population of the planet."
Meat-alternative products are already growing in popularity in many countries across the world and their share of the market is predicted to be worth €7.2 billion ($8.1bn) by 2026, according to figures from Fortune Business Insights.
But Redefine Meat and others claim the 3D printing process can better recreate the taste and texture of real meat, while reducing costs once the technology is scaled up.
“We can do the entire cow, not only one part of the cow. Steaks, roast, slow-cooking, grilling, everything that an animal can do we want to do the same or even better,” said Ben-Shitrit.
“We want to work with more and more chefs around the world, more and more big distributors, and we don't see a reason that this cannot be on the table of everybody in every country around the world."
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france24--2020-07-01--‘Our rights, our democracy are at stake’, says Philippine journalist convicted of ‘cyberlibel’

Maria Ressa , a prominent investigative journalist in the Philippines , is facing up to six years in jail after she was convicted of “ cyberlibel ” .
In an interview with FRANCE 24 , she claimed that the case against her was fabricated as part of a deliberate campaign to stifle press freedom under the regime of President Rodrigo Duterte .
The co-founder of the news site Rappler has already faced a litany of government investigations and legal cases , and says other key media outlets have also been subject to efforts to shut them down .
Ressa told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , that the appeal she lodged in this latest case would be heard before the court 's judges .
While the journalist stopped short of describing Duterte as a dictator , she accused the Philippine president of undermining democracy and the rule of law .
His response to the Covid-19 pandemic , she said , was heavy-handed and led by government officials instead of scientists .
In further evidence of Duterte 's clampdown on freedoms , she warned that a new anti-terrorist bill was a threat to human rights , since it would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and prosecute activists .
She added that criticism of her country 's human rights record by the UN would hopefully put enough pressure on the government to change its ways .

Maria Ressa, a prominent investigative journalist in the Philippines, is facing up to six years in jail after she was convicted of “cyberlibel”. In an interview with FRANCE 24, she claimed that the case against her was fabricated as part of a deliberate campaign to stifle press freedom under the regime of President Rodrigo Duterte.
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The co-founder of the news site Rappler has already faced a litany of government investigations and legal cases, and says other key media outlets have also been subject to efforts to shut them down. Ressa told FRANCE 24 she was hopeful, nevertheless, that the appeal she lodged in this latest case would be heard before the court's judges.
While the journalist stopped short of describing Duterte as a dictator, she accused the Philippine president of undermining democracy and the rule of law.
His response to the Covid-19 pandemic, she said, was heavy-handed and led by government officials instead of scientists. In further evidence of Duterte's clampdown on freedoms, she warned that a new anti-terrorist bill was a threat to human rights, since it would grant the state new powers to arrest and prosecute activists. She added that criticism of her country's human rights record by the UN would hopefully put enough pressure on the government to change its ways.
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france24--2020-07-01--UK expands citizenship access for Hong Kong residents as China security law takes effect

Riot police detain a man and display a purple flag warning people they may be committing an offence under a new national security law during a protest in Hong Kong on July 1 , 2020 .
Britain has extended Hong Kong residents a broader path to citizenship in response to China 's sweeping new security law for the former UK territory .
China warned Britain on Thursday that it would consider retaliating for the move with `` commensurate measures '' .
Prime Minister Boris Johnson 's announcement represents the most direct international response to legislation that has been roundly condemned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a London review of its entire range of relations with Beijing that includes a reassessment of the role China 's Huawei is playing in the buildup of Britain 's 5G data network .
`` We stand for rules and obligations , '' Johnson told parliament just hours after China made its first arrests in Hong Kong under the new legislation .
`` The enactment and deposition of this national security law constitutes a clear and serious breach of the Sino-British Joint Declaration . ''
Johnson said London had warned Beijing that it would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ British National Overseas status to move to the UK .
`` And that is precisely what we will do now , '' he said .
About 300,000 Hong Kongers have BNO passports and another 2.6 million are eligible to apply .
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said Britain 's offer also extended to dependents of those with BNO status but refused to be drawn about how many would apply .
Sky News and other media said Raab 's office also summoned China 's embassador Liu Xiaoming to express its deep concern .
Hong Kong @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it to China in 1997 with a guarantee that Beijing would preserve the city 's judicial and legislative autonomy for 50 years .
But critics say the new law -- passed by Beijing 's rubber-stamp parliament this week without its text being released to the public -- tests the limits of the `` One Country , Two Systems '' principle that formally entered international law in 1984 .
Britain 's last Hong Kong governor called details of the legislation unveiled overnight `` even worse than I expected '' .
`` It is Orwellian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ BBC .
`` It does go wider and further than anybody had feared . ''
Britain 's response to China 's legislation offers a much smoother pathway to UK citizenship for millions of Hong Kongers .
Raab said Hong Kongers with BNO status and their dependents would first have the right to work or study in Britain for five years .
They would then have the right to apply for settled status then possible citizenship .
He said there would be `` no quotas '' and described the entire system as `` bespoke @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and deeply disturbing step , '' he said of the Chinese law .
`` China through this national security legislation is not living up to its promises to the people of Hong Kong .
We will live up to our promises to them , '' he told lawmakers .
Britain had opened itself up to closer relations with China as it sought out trading partners after ending its decades-long membership in the European Union this year .
Johnson 's government also irritated the US administration in January by allowing the private Chinese telecoms @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new data network .
But Britain is now studying ways it can cut Huawei out of its system entirely and build up an alliance of European and Asian providers that reduces China 's dominance in the field .
British condemnation of the Chinese law has spanned the political divide and seen London 's Asia-focused HSBC group come under political assault for openly backing it last month .
Raab did not mention the bank by name but noted : `` The rights and the freedoms and our responsibilities in this country to the people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the altar of bankers ' bonuses '' .
HSBC offered support for the law after public pressure from a pro-Beijing figure in Hong Kong who pointed to the bank 's reliance on business in China .


france24--2020-07-02--More than 100 dead in landslide at Myanmar jade mine

Rescue workers carry a dead body following a landslide at a mining site in Hpakant , Kachin State City , Myanmar on July 2 , 2020 , in this picture obtained from social media .
The bodies of at least 100 jade miners were pulled from the mud after a landslide in northern Myanmar on Thursday , in one of the worst ever accidents to hit the perilous industry .
Scores die each year while working in the country ’ s lucrative but poorly regulated jade industry , which uses low-paid migrant workers to scrape out a gem highly coveted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an early bout of heavy rainfall close to the Chinese border in Kachin state , the Myanmar Fire Services Department said in a Facebook post .
“ The miners were smothered by a wave of mud , ” the statement said .
“ A total of 113 bodies have been found so far.
” They had apparently defied a warning not to work the treacherous open mines during the rains , local police told AFP .
Rescuers worked all morning to retrieve the bodies from a mud lake , pulling them to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Police told AFP that 99 bodies were found by noon , with another 20 injured .
They said search and rescue efforts had been suspended because of more heavy rains .
The workers were scavenging for the gemstones on the sharp mountainous terrain in Hpakant township , where furrows from earlier digs had already loosened the earth .
Photos posted on the fire service Facebook page showed a search and rescue team wading through a valley flooded by the mudslide .
Rescuers carried bodies wrapped in tarpaulins out of the mud lake @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Unverified footage of the scene showed a torrent of sludge crashing through the terrain as workers scrambled up the sharp escarpments .
Police said the death toll could have been even higher if authorities had not warned people to stay away from the mining pits the day before .
“ It could have been hundreds of people dead—more than this , but the notice might have saved some , ” superintendent Than Win Aung told AFP .
Open jade mines have pockmarked Hpakant ’ s remote terrain and given it the appearance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the area are common , especially when rainfall hammers the muddy terrain during Myanmar ’ s notoriously severe monsoon season .
The workers combing through the earth are often from impoverished ethnic communities who are looking for scraps left behind by big firms .
A major collapse in November 2015 left more than 100 dead .
A mudslide buried more than 50 workers last year , when a days long recovery effort saw police digging through a “ mud lake ” to retrieve bodies from the sludge .
Myanmar is one of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the industry is largely driven by insatiable demand for the green gem from neighbouring China .
The mines are mired in secrecy , though Global Witness claims their operators are linked to former junta figures , the military elite and their cronies .
The watchdog estimated that the industry was worth some $ 31 billion in 2014 , although very little reaches state coffers .
Northern Myanmar ’ s abundant natural resources—including jade , timber , gold and amber—help finance both sides of a decades-long civil war between ethnic Kachin insurgents and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the mines and the revenues they bring frequently traps local civilians in the middle .

The bodies of at least 100 jade miners were pulled from the mud after a landslide in northern Myanmar on Thursday, in one of the worst ever accidents to hit the perilous industry.
Rescue workers carry a dead body following a landslide at a mining site in Hpakant, Kachin State City, Myanmar on July 2, 2020, in this picture obtained from social media.
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Scores die each year while working in the country’s lucrative but poorly regulated jade industry, which uses low-paid migrant workers to scrape out a gem highly coveted in China.
The disaster struck after an early bout of heavy rainfall close to the Chinese border in Kachin state, the Myanmar Fire Services Department said in a Facebook post.
“The miners were smothered by a wave of mud,” the statement said. “A total of 113 bodies have been found so far.”
They had apparently defied a warning not to work the treacherous open mines during the rains, local police told AFP.
Rescuers worked all morning to retrieve the bodies from a mud lake, pulling them to the surface and using tyres as makeshift rafts.
Police told AFP that 99 bodies were found by noon, with another 20 injured.
They said search and rescue efforts had been suspended because of more heavy rains.
The workers were scavenging for the gemstones on the sharp mountainous terrain in Hpakant township, where furrows from earlier digs had already loosened the earth.
Photos posted on the fire service Facebook page showed a search and rescue team wading through a valley flooded by the mudslide.
Rescuers carried bodies wrapped in tarpaulins out of the mud lake as a deluge poured down from above.
Unverified footage of the scene showed a torrent of sludge crashing through the terrain as workers scrambled up the sharp escarpments.
Chinese demand
Police said the death toll could have been even higher if authorities had not warned people to stay away from the mining pits the day before.
“It could have been hundreds of people dead—more than this, but the notice might have saved some,” superintendent Than Win Aung told AFP.
Open jade mines have pockmarked Hpakant’s remote terrain and given it the appearance of a vast moonscape.
Landslides in the area are common, especially when rainfall hammers the muddy terrain during Myanmar’s notoriously severe monsoon season.
The workers combing through the earth are often from impoverished ethnic communities who are looking for scraps left behind by big firms.
A major collapse in November 2015 left more than 100 dead.
A mudslide buried more than 50 workers last year, when a days long recovery effort saw police digging through a “mud lake” to retrieve bodies from the sludge.
Myanmar is one of the world’s main sources of jadeite and the industry is largely driven by insatiable demand for the green gem from neighbouring China.
The mines are mired in secrecy, though Global Witness claims their operators are linked to former junta figures, the military elite and their cronies.
The watchdog estimated that the industry was worth some $31 billion in 2014, although very little reaches state coffers.
Northern Myanmar’s abundant natural resources—including jade, timber, gold and amber—help finance both sides of a decades-long civil war between ethnic Kachin insurgents and the military.
The fight to control the mines and the revenues they bring frequently traps local civilians in the middle.
(AFP)
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