South Korea says presumed North Korean hackers breached personal emails of presidential staffer
Seoul, SOUTH KOREA (AP) — South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s office said Wednesday that presumed North Korean hackers breached the personal emails of one of his staff members ahead of Yoon’s trip to Europe in November.
Yoon’s office said the breach only affected the personal account of the unidentified employee, who violated security protocols by partially using commercial email services to handle official duties. Officials did not specify what type of information was stolen from the staff member’s personal emails but stressed that the office’s overall security system was not affected.
“We detected the case in advance of (Yoon’s) visit and took necessary measures,” Yoon’s office said in a statement to reporters. The office said it has been monitoring and defending against “constant” hacking attempts presumed to be related to North Korea but “it’s not that the presidential office’s security system got hacked.”
Yoon in November made a three-day visit to Britain, where he met King Charles III and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, and followed it with a trip to France.
North Korea runs a huge, government-backed hacking program that has been accused of stealing large sums of money, often in cryptocurrency, to finance its illicit nuclear weapons and missile program in defiance of U.S.-led international sanctions. North Korea-backed hackers have also been accused of stealing information from outside governments, businesses and think tanks.
According to a report obtained by The Associated Press last week, a U.N. panel of experts said they are investigating 58 suspected North Korean cyberattacks and other intrusions between 2017 and 2023 valued at approximately $3 billion, with the money reportedly being used to help fund its development of weapons of mass destruction.
While the country has denied involvement, North Korea has been linked to major cyberattacks and intrusions in past years, including a 2013 campaign that paralyzed the servers of South Korean financial institutions, the 2014 hacking of Sony Pictures, and the WannaCry malware attack of 2017.
North Korea fires several cruise missiles off its east coast
Seoul, SOUTH KOREA (EFE) – North Korea test-fired several unidentified cruise missiles into the sea from its east coast on Wednesday, the South Korean military announced.
A woman watches the news at a station in Seoul, South Korea, 14 February 2024. EFE-EPA/JEON HEON-KYUN
The projectiles were fired into waters northeast of the city of Wonsan around 9 am, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said in a statement.
Both South Korean and US intelligence agencies are conducting a detailed analysis of the launch, it added.
“While strengthening our monitoring and vigilance, our military has been closely coordinating with the United States to monitor additional signs of North Korea’s provocations,” the JCS said, South Korean agency Yonhap reported.
The latest cruise missile launch is the fifth by Pyongyang so far this year.
Tensions have escalated on the Korean peninsula following multiple weapons tests by North Korea, including cruise missile launches from the land and the sea as well as artillery fire near the inter-Korean maritime border.
North Korea has also announced that it is developing new weapons for its arsenal, which has prompted Seoul and its allied countries to tighten surveillance of the country. EFE
A day after his latest hospital release, Austin presses for urgent military aid for Ukraine
WASHINGTON (AP) — A day after his latest hospital stay for health issues following treatment for prostate cancer, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin hosted a virtual session on Ukraine to help resource urgently needed ammunition and artillery for Kyiv as it faces shortages in its now almost two-year war with Russia.
In his opening remarks to the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, a regular gathering of about 50 member countries that coordinate military support for Ukraine, Austin said Wednesday he’d intended to be with the group in person, “but I had to return to the hospital for non-surgical procedures.”
“I’m in good condition, and my cancer prognosis remains excellent,” he said.
Austin conducted the virtual session from his home, where he is still recovering from complications from his December surgery to treat prostate cancer. Austin was released from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center Monday after being treated for a bladder issue.
The Pentagon has been out of funds to send weapons and ammunition to Ukraine since December. Since then European allies have continued to send some support but the loss of regular shipments of ammunition to Ukraine is having an impact.
Austin said in his opening remarks that the contact group would work Wednesday on resourcing some of Ukraine’s most critical near-term needs, “including its urgent need for more artillery, ammunition and air defense missiles.”
It’s not clear if, or when, Congress will come to an agreement that would give the Pentagon additional funds to restart regular shipments of ammunition to Ukraine’s front lines.
The Senate passed its latest version of a multibillion-dollar war funding package early Tuesday with some Republican senator support, stripping out controversial border security language that has been a sticking point for conservative members in hopes that the pared-down bill could gain Republican support in the House.
But House Speaker Mike Johnson has already indicated that it could be weeks or months before Congress sends the legislation to President Joe Biden’s desk — if at all.
The Pentagon has argued that the Ukraine and Israel funding package is also good for the U.S. economy. The war spending has pumped billions into the economy as the military ramps up domestic production of ammunition and weapons systems in order to replenish its own stockpiles.
The $95.3 billion legislation includes $60 billion for Ukraine; $14 billion for Israel’s war with Hamas, $8 billion for Taiwan and partners in the Indo-Pacific to counter China, and $9.1 billion in humanitarian assistance for Gaza and the West Bank, Ukraine, and other populations caught in conflict zones across the globe.
Prabowo Subianto, the Indonesian defense chief associated with past human rights abuses, clinches victory in presidential election
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto, an ex-general linked to past human rights atrocities, claimed victory in Indonesia’s presidential election on Wednesday based on unofficial tallies.
The 72-year-old candidate, who was once banned by the United States from entering for two decades due to his human rights record, told thousands of supporters in a sports stadium in the capital, Jakarta, that the victory, according to an early, unofficial “quick count,” was “the victory of all Indonesians.”
There was no declaration by electoral officials and the two former provincial governors who also contested the election in the world’s third-largest democracy have not conceded defeat.
Subianto was an army general during the brutal period of the Suharto dictatorship that ended just over 25 years ago. He served as a special forces commander in a unit linked to torture and disappearances, allegations that he vehemently denies.
According to the unofficial tallies conducted by Indonesian polling agencies, Subianto had between 57% and 59% of votes, with more than 80% of the vote counted in polling places sampled.
The quick counts are based on the actual vote count at a sample of polling stations across Indonesia. The laborious official count may not be finished for up to a month, but quick counts have provided an accurate picture of the results of all four presidential elections held in Indonesia since it began direct voting in 2004.
“We are grateful for the quick count results,” he said in the speech, broadcast on national television. “We should not be arrogant, we should not be proud, we should not be euphoric, we still have to be humble, this victory must be a victory for all Indonesian people.”
To avoid a runoff against his rivals, Anies Baswedan and Ganjar Pranowo, Subianto needs more than 50% of all votes cast and at least 20% in each of the country’s provinces.
President candidate Anies Baswedan shows his Inked finger after casting the vote at a polling station during election in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, Feb.14,2024. Photo : Tatan Syuflana/AP
Subianto has presented himself as an heir to immensely popular sitting President Joko Widodo, whose son he chose as his running mate.
Widodo’s successor will inherit an economy with impressive growth and ambitious infrastructure projects, including the ongoing transfer of the nation’s capital from congested Jakarta to the frontier island of Borneo at a staggering cost exceeding $30 billion.
The election also has high stakes for the United States and China, since Indonesia has a huge domestic market, natural resources like nickel and palm oil, and diplomatic influence with its Southeast Asian neighbors.
Widodo’s rise from a riverside slum to the presidency has shown the vibrancy of Indonesia’s democracy in a region rife with authoritarian regimes.
But with a leading candidate linked to a former dictator, and Widodo’s son on the ballot, some observers fear that democracy is eroding.
Indonesians voted on Wednesday in an election that took just six hours. The logistics of the vote across the tropical nation’s 17,000 islands inhabited by 270 million people were daunting: Ballot boxes and ballots were transported by boats, motorcycles, horses and on foot in some of the more far-flung locations.
Aside from the presidency, some 20,000 national, provincial and district parliamentary posts were contested by tens of thousands of candidates in one of the world’s largest elections, which authorities said concluded with no major problems. About 10,000 aspirants from 18 political parties eyed the national parliament’s 580 seats alone.
Voters interviewed by The Associated Press expressed hope their next leader would help them achieve greater prosperity in a country where nearly a tenth of the population still lives in poverty.
“I hope Indonesia can progress better and that I did not vote for the wrong person,” said Indra Nurohim, a 17-year-old high school student and first-time voter. “I hope we will have a better government.”
Subianto, the oldest presidential candidate at 72, lost in two previous runs to Widodo but was the front-runner in independent surveys. His running mate, Widodo’s eldest son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, was allowed to run when the Constitutional Court made an exception to the minimum age requirement of 40. The court was then headed by Widodo’s brother-in-law, who was removed by an ethics panel for not recusing himself, and Widodo was accused of favoritism and nepotism.
Critics have accused Widodo of trying to build a political dynasty despite his being the first president to emerge from outside the political and military elite since the 1998 end of the dictatorial rule of Suharto, characterized by widespread human rights violations, plunder and political unrest.
Vice President candidate Gibran Rakabuming Raka, center, the eldest son of Indonesian President Joko Widodo, and his wife Selvi Ananda walks upon their arrival at a polling station during the election in Solo, Indonesia, Wednesday, Feb.14,2024. Photo : Achmed Ibrahim/AP
Subianto, a former lieutenant general who married one of Suharto’s daughters, was a longtime commander in the army special forces, called Kopassus. He was dishonorably discharged in 1998 after Kopassus forces kidnapped and tortured political opponents of Suharto.
Of at least 22 activists kidnapped that year, 13 remain missing to this day, and their families protest weekly outside the presidential palace demanding the activists be accounted for. Subianto never faced a trial and denied any involvement, although several of his men were tried and convicted.
During the campaign period that concluded last weekend, Subianto and his strategists used AI and social media platforms like TikTok to soften his image by portraying him as a cuddly grandfather to his youthful running mate. Rejected by human rights activists, he danced on the campaign stage and promised to generate nearly 20 million jobs in his first term if elected.
Baswedan, the former head of an Islamic university, served as governor of Jakarta until last year. A former Fulbright scholar, Baswedan was education and culture minister from 2014 to 2016, when Widodo removed him from the Cabinet after accusing him of failing to address problems of thousands of students affected by forest fires.
Baswedan opposes Widodo’s plan to move the Indonesian capital from Jakarta to Nusantara on Borneo island, which involves constructing government buildings and residential enclaves by clearing lush tropical rainforests.
In an interview with the AP last month, he said democracy in Indonesia is under threat, given Subianto’s choice of the president’s son as running mate.
“This means that there is a decline in trust, it means that our democracy is experiencing a decline in quality, it means that many legal rules are being bent,” he said.
Pranowo is the governing party candidate but does not have Widodo’s support. He was a national legislator for the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle for 10 years before being elected in 2013 for the first of two terms as governor of the vote-rich Central Java region.
While governor, Pranowo refused to allow Israel to participate in the Under-20 FIFA World Cup to be held in his province. FIFA subsequently dropped Indonesia as host of the games, angering Indonesian soccer fans and Widodo.
Israel and Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation, do not have diplomatic ties.
Under Widodo, Indonesia saw a period of remarkable growth averaging 5% annually, except in 2020, when the economy contracted due to the coronavirus pandemic.
His economic roadmap, called “Golden Indonesia 2045,” projects Indonesia becoming one of the world’s top five economies with GDP of up to $9 trillion, exactly a century after it won independence from Dutch colonizers.
BY NINIEK KARMINI AND EDNA TARIGAN
Associated Press journalist Jim Gomez contributed to this report.
Thai man given 36 years in jail for Facebook posts deemed critical of monarchy
Bangkok, THAILAND (EFE) – A Thai court has sentenced a man to 36 years in prison for publishing messages on social media deemed in violation of the country’s strict lese majeste and computer crimes law, legal sources reported Wednesday.
Anti-government protester holds pictures of detained leaders and some protesters during a rally standing for 112 minutes calling to free them, at Victory Monument in Bangkok, Thailand, 02 May 2021. EFE-EPA FILE/NARONG SANGNAK
According to the NGO Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR), the man, identified only as Wut, was initially sentenced to 36 years in prison but had the sentence reduced to 18 years due to admission and cooperation with authorities.
The individual, about 51 years of age, has been detained in Minburi district, on the outskirts of Bangkok, since March 2023 and had his request for bail denied repeatedly, TLHR noted in a statement, describing him as a political prisoner.
The accusations date back to 2021, when the authorities denounced Wut for publishing a dozen entries on Facebook with content that was “insulting, slanderous, defamatory, and expressed hostility” towards the king of Thailand and other members of the royal family.
Some of the images included portraits of royals in a way that led users to “understand the king, queen and royal family as not good people,” according to prosecution reports compiled by TLHR.
Wut was convicted of violating the country’s hardline lese majeste law, which punishes offenses deemed to be insulting or defaming the royal family with up to 15 years in prison, and committing computer crimes.
TLHR denounced the increase in lese majeste cases in Thailand since November 2020, when the government resumed arrests and prosecutions under the law, apparently to suffocate the pro-democracy protest movement led by university students across 2020 and 2021.
According to the NGO’s most recent data, as of December 2023, at least 1,938 people have been prosecuted for political expression since July 2020, including 286 minors under 18 years of age. EFE
Russia puts the leader of NATO member Estonia on a wanted list over the removal of Soviet-era monuments
TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Estonia’s prime minister has been put on a wanted list in Russia because of her efforts to remove Soviet-era World War II monuments in the Baltic nation, officials said Tuesday as tensions between Russia and the West soar amid the war in Ukraine.
The name of Prime Minister Kaja Kallas appeared on the Russian Interior Ministry’s list of people wanted on unspecified criminal charges. While independent Russian news outlet Mediazona first reported Tuesday that Kallas was on the list, it said she has been on it for months. The list includes scores of officials and lawmakers from other Baltic nations.
Russian officials said that Kallas had been put on the list because of her efforts to remove World War II monuments.
Kallas dismissed it as Moscow’s “familiar scare tactic.”
“Russia may believe that issuing a fictitious arrest warrant will silence Estonia,” she said. “I refuse to be silenced -– I will continue to vocally support Ukraine and advocate for the strengthening of European defenses.”
Estonia and fellow NATO members Latvia and Lithuania have pulled down monuments that are widely seen as an unwanted legacy of the Soviet occupation of those countries.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine nearly two years ago, numerous monuments to Red Army soldiers also have been taken down in Poland and the Czech Republic, a belated purge of what many see as symbols of past oppression.
Moscow has denounced those moves as desecrating the memory of Soviet soldiers who fell while fighting Nazi Germany.
The inclusion of Kallas — who has fiercely advocated for increased military assistance to Ukraine and stronger sanctions against Russia — appears to reflect the Kremlin’s effort to raise the stakes in the face of NATO and European Union pressure over the war.
Workers remove a Soviet T-34 tank installed as a monument in Narva, Estonia, on Aug. 16, 2022. Sergei Stepanov / AP
“Estonia and I remain steadfast in our policy: supporting Ukraine, bolstering European defense, and fighting against Russian propaganda,” Kallas said, pointing to her family’s history of facing Soviet repression. “This hits close to home for me: My grandmother and mother were once deported to Siberia, and it was the KGB who issued the fabricated arrest warrants.”
It’s the first time the Russian Interior Ministry has put a foreign leader on a wanted list. Estonian Secretary of State Taimar Peterkop and Lithuanian Culture Minister Simonas Kairys also are on the list, which is accessible to the public, along with scores of officials and lawmakers from Latvia, Lithuania and Poland.
“This, of course, is a kind of reward for people who support Ukraine and support the fight of good against evil,” Lithuania Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said, adding that those on the list should be careful while traveling to third countries in the future.
Mika Golubovsky, editor of Mediazona’s English-language service, told The Associated Press that Kallas and other politicians from the Baltic nations have been in the Interior Ministry’s wanted database since mid-October and was the only head of state on the list.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova confirmed that Kallas and Peterkop were on the list because of their involvement in removing monuments.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it was a response to action by Kallas and others who “have taken hostile action toward historic memory and our country.”
Russia has laws criminalizing the “rehabilitation of Nazism” that include punishing the desecration of war memorials. Russia’s Investigative Committee, the country’s top criminal investigation agency, has a department dealing with alleged “falsification of history” and “rehabilitation of Nazism,” which has ramped up its action since the start of the war, according to Mediazona, which broke the news on Kallas’ addition to the wanted list.
Mediazona, which downloaded and studied more than 96,000 individual entries in the database, said it also includes scores of Ukrainian officials and foreign nationals accused of fighting alongside Ukrainian armed forces. The entries usually don’t specify the charges or when the person was added to the list.
Golubovsky noted that not every high-profile addition to the list is publicly announced by the authorities. Officials in the Investigative Committee probably initially added Kallas and other Western officials to the list to score points with their superiors, he said, and the Kremlin only used it in its rhetoric about the West attacking Russia’s historic memory after it was disclosed.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that ridding Ukraine of far-right, neo-Nazi groups is one of the central aims of the war, but he has offered no proof to back his repeated claims that such groups have a decisive voice in shaping Ukraine’s policies.
The inclusion of Kallas could also mark an attempt by Moscow to counter last year’s arrest warrant against Putin issued by the International Criminal Court over the alleged deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia. The Interior Ministry’s list also includes ICC President Piotr Hofmanski, as well as judges and prosecutors.
U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham and Meta spokesperson Andy Stone are on the list too. Meta is the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, which are banned in Russia.
While it means little in practical terms since contacts between Moscow and the West have been frozen during the conflict, it comes at a time when European members of NATO are growing increasingly worried about how the U.S. election will affect the alliance.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump has rekindled the fears of NATO allies that he could allow Russia to expand its aggression in Europe if he returns to the White House.
“‘You didn’t pay? You’re delinquent?’” the Republican front-runner recently said he told an unidentified NATO member during his presidency. “‘No, I would not protect you. In fact, I would encourage them to do whatever the hell they want. You gotta pay.’”
That statement sharply contrasted with U.S. President Joe Biden’s pledge “to defend every inch of NATO territory,” as the alliance commits all members to do in case of attack.
Trump’s statement shocked many in Europe, drawing a pledge from Poland, France and Germany to bolster Europe’s security and defense power.
U.S. Ambassador to NATO Julianne Smith told reporters Tuesday that “encouraging the Kremlin to attack any NATO ally or alliance territory really puts our soldiers -– U.S. soldiers and our allies’ soldiers — in greater danger. Doing so, making those types of statements, is dangerous and frankly irresponsible.”
While Putin insists he has no plans to strike any NATO countries unless they attack first, Estonia’s Foreign Intelligence Service released an annual report Tuesday noting that Russia has significantly increased weapons output and warning that “the Kremlin is probably anticipating a possible conflict with NATO within the next decade.”
There also are scores of Belarusian nationals on Russia’s wanted list, including opposition figures, rights advocates and journalists who are being sought by authorities in Minsk. Leanid Sudalenka of Viasna, Belarus’ oldest and most prominent human rights group, told AP that Russian and Belarusian databases have been synchronized as part of the close relationship between the two nations.
Sudalenka, who fled to Lithuania last year after serving three years in a Belarusian prison and is on the list himself because of new charges, called it “an ugly conflation of two dictatorships that joined forces in prosecuting active people who protest against those dictatorships and the war.”
Poland, France and Germany vow to make Europe stronger as fears grow over Russia and Trump
Paris, FRANCE (AP) — The governments of Poland, France and Germany vowed Monday to make Europe a security and defense power with a greater ability to back Ukraine, amid concerns that former U.S. President Donald Trump might return to the White House and allow Russia to expand its aggression on the continent.
The foreign ministers of the three countries met in the Paris suburb of La Celle-Saint-Cloud to have talks about Ukraine, amid other issues. They discussed reviving the so-called Weimar Triangle, a long dormant regional grouping that was designed to promote cooperation between France, Germany and Poland.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who met with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin on Monday, said he wanted to “revitalize” his nation’s relations with its key European partners.
“There is no reason why we should be so clearly militarily weaker than Russia, and therefore increasing production and intensifying our cooperation are absolutely indisputable priorities,” Tusk said in arguing for the European Union to become “a military power” in its own right.
The diplomatic push came after Trump shocked many in Europe over the weekend by appearing to invite Russia to invade any NATO member not spending enough on its own defense.
“‘You didn’t pay? You’re delinquent?’” Trump recounted telling an unidentified NATO member during his presidency. “‘No, I would not protect you. In fact, I would encourage them to do whatever the hell they want. You gotta pay. You gotta pay your bills.’”
French President Emmanuel Macron,right, Welcomes Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk Monday, Feb.12,2024 at the Elysee Palace in Paris. Photo : Aurelien Morissard/AP
The Republican front-runner’s words at a campaign rally were particularly shocking for front-line NATO countries like Poland, which experienced both German and Soviet occupation during World War II and later spent decades under Soviet control. Anxieties run high there over the ongoing war just across Poland’s eastern border.
Speaking alongside Tusk in Berlin, Scholz blasted Trump’s comments.
“NATO’s promise of protection is unrestricted — ‘all for one and one for all,’” Scholz said without mentioning the former president by name. “And let me say clearly for current reasons: Any relativization of NATO’s support guarantee is irresponsible and dangerous, and is in the interest of Russia alone.”
“No one can play, or ‘deal,’ with Europe’s security,” the chancellor added.
Earlier Monday, Scholz inaugurated a new ammunition factory, underlining Europe’s efforts to ramp up weapons production.
Tusk also urged European nations to invest more in military projects in order “to achieve as quickly as possible… in the next dozen or so months, much greater air defense capabilities, much greater production capabilities in terms of ammunition.”
Asked about Trump’s remarks, Tusk said they “should act like a cold shower for all those who continue to underestimate this increasingly real threat which Europe is facing.”
Macron, speaking alongside Tusk in Paris, said Europe’s will “to further supply and meet Ukrainian needs is crucial,” after leaders of the 27 EU member nations sealed a deal to provide Ukraine with 50 billion euros ($54 billion) in support for its war-ravaged economy.
This “will enable us to make from Europe a security and defense power that is both complementary to NATO and a pillar of the Atlantic alliance, Macron said.
Trump’s remarks raised concerns that if reelected, he could embolden Russia to attack other countries besides Ukraine. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg issued a statement Sunday saying that Trump’s remarks put American troops and their allies at greater risk.
NATO does not require its 31 members to pay bills, but they are expected to invest a certain percentage of their own budgets — ideally, 2% of their gross domestic product — on defense.
Some countries, like Poland, have long met the target. Other European nations ramped up their military spending after Russia invaded Ukraine almost two years ago.
Speaking in Rome, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani dismissed Trump’s threat as “electoral campaign joke,” but said it was legitimate for all NATO members to do their part. Italy hasn’t yet reached the 2% GDP defense spending target.
“To have more influence within NATO we need a Europe with its own army,” he said. “We must look forward, because it is fair that Americans are asking us to do our part, we must have equal responsibility.”
Germany, with a post-World War II political culture of military caution, was a frequent target of Trump’s ire during his presidency for falling short of the 2% target, But Berlin announced plans to step up military spending after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine and plans to hit the benchmark this year.
France’s military budget grew in recent years and reached the level of about 2% of GDP.
Tusk returned to power as prime minister of his central European nation in December after eight years of rule by a national conservative government that often took an antagonistic stance with European allies, particularly Germany. As a result, Warsaw’s influence in Europe diminished.
The Weimar Triangle was created in 1991 as Poland was emerging from decades of communism as a platform for political cooperation among the three nations.
Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski noted Monday that he and his French and German counterparts “meet at a dramatic, but also solemn moment.” Russian President Vladimir Putin “must not be allowed to win this war. We must fulfill our obligations toward Ukraine.”
French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné said “each minute counts to get Europeans prepared to absorb the shock of a scenario that has been well described by Donald Trump.”
Moulson contributed from Berlin and Gera from Warsaw. Paolo Santalucia contributed from Rome.
Allies of imprisoned ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan won the most seats in the lower house of parliament in the elections last Thursday. It was a shock outcome given the obstacles: His Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party could hold no campaign rallies, had no polling agents on election day and faced internet restrictions. They won 93 out of 265 National Assembly seats. It’s not enough to form a government, however.
The other two mainstream parties, led by Khan’s rivals, also failed to secure enough seats to form a government on their own. They are the PML-N of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and the PPP, led by political dynasty scion Bilawal-Bhutto Zardari. They won 75 and 54 seats respectively.
It’s Pakistan’s parliament that chooses the next prime minister, so having a majority is crucial.
WHO’S IN THE RUNNING?
Not Imran Khan. He’s in prison and barred from holding public office. The PTI said it doesn’t want or need an alliance, claiming it has enough seats. It doesn’t. The party has public support — as shown by the number of seats that candidates scooped up — but it doesn’t have the backing of political peers.
Analyst Azim Chaudhry said the other parties have “grievances and grudges” against Khan from his time in office and that they’re not ready to shake hands with him because he’s made it clear he doesn’t want to talk to them.
The PML-N and PPP started coalition talks once it became clear that Khan loyalists had taken a lead. They claim to have pacts with smaller parties and newly minted parliamentarians, including defectors from Khan’s side, to bump up their seat quota to the magic majority number of 169.
But knowing who could become prime minister from this ragtag crowd is trickier.
Party insiders say Sharif isn’t suited to a coalition because of his temperament. His younger brother, Shehbaz, led a coalition after Khan was ousted from power and is regarded as more accommodating.
And then there’s Bhutto-Zardari, a former foreign minister. It’s not clear if he’ll want the top job in a government that came to power through such a tainted election.
But he and his party are key to any coalition because they have the third largest share of seats. Not for nothing is his father, Asif Ali Zardari, regarded as a kingmaker. He won’t do something that jeopardizes his son’s political future, like joining hands with Khan, according to Chaudhry.
There’s a chance of an outside candidate becoming prime minister to keep all sides happy, but it’s hard to see the two families relinquishing their claim to power.
WHAT’S THE MOOD?
People are unhappy about the way the election unfolded and how votes were counted. Legal challenges are underway to contest some results. There are protests and allegations about vote-rigging, with Khan’s supporters in particular angry about what they perceive as electoral theft. Police have used tear gas to disperse crowds and arrested dozens of people in sporadic demonstrations that have broken out across Pakistan. The international community and rights groups have expressed concern about voting irregularities.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
Pakistan’s president has to convene the inaugural session of the new National Assembly within 21 days of the election, or Feb. 29. Lawmakers are sworn in during that session. They submit nomination papers for a number of key roles, including the speaker and leader of the house. After these positions are filled, a new prime minister is elected through a parliamentary vote, a task that requires a simple majority.
Police use tear gas against Indian farmers marching to New Delhi to demand guaranteed crop prices
New Delhi, INDIA (AP) — Indian police on Tuesday used tear gas and detained some farmers who clashed with them and tried to break barricades blocking their way to New Delhi to demand guaranteed crop prices in a repeat of 2021 protests, when they camped on the capital’s outskirts for more than a year.
Police dropped tear gas canisters on the protesting farmers from a drone at one of the border points in northern Haryana state that leads to New Delhi, where tens of thousands of farmers are headed on tractors and trucks.
Police have sealed multiple entry points into the capital with barriers of giant metal containers, barbed wire, spikes and cement blocks. The government has banned large gatherings in the capital and suspended internet service in some districts of neighboring Haryana state to prevent communication among the protesters.
The farmers, who began their march in northern Haryana and Punjab states, are asking for a guaranteed minimum support price for all farm produce. The government protects agricultural producers against any sharp fall in farm prices by announcing a minimum purchase price for certain essential crops at the beginning of the sowing season, taking into account the cost of production.
Police barricade a major highway at Ghazipur near New Delhi to stop thousands of protesting farmers from entering the capital, India, Tuesday, Feb.13,2024. Photo : Sohnal Ganguly/AP
Farmers are also pressing the government to meet its promise to double their income and waive their loans. They say they will protest in New Delhi until their demands are met.
The withdrawal of the agricultural laws in November 2021 was seen as a major retreat by the Modi government, which was shocked in January that year when tens of thousands of farmers stormed the historic Red Fort in New Delhi.
After withdrawing the laws, the government said it would set up a panel of farmers and government officials to find ways to ensure support prices for all farm produce. Multiple meetings since then have made no progress.
The current march comes just months before a national election in which Modi is widely expected to win a third term.
Vehciles move at snail pace after Police barricade a major highway at Ghazipur near New Delhi to stop thousands of protesting farmers from entering the capital, India, Tuesday, Feb.13,2024. Photo : AP
The protests could pose a significant challenge for Modi and his governing Bharatiya Janata Party as farmers form the most influential voting bloc in India and politicians have long considered it unwise to alienate them. The stakes are high in Harayana and Punjab, where farmers form a sizeable population, as the two states send 23 lawmakers to India’s lower house of Parliament.
“We do not want to break any barricades. We want a resolution of our issues through dialogue. But if they (the government) do nothing, then what will we do? It is our compulsion,” Sarwan Singh Pandher, a leader of one of the farmer groups, told reporters Tuesday.
Pandher said talks between farm leaders and government ministers on Monday failed to produce any consensus on their key demands and the government refused to make a decision.
Some farmer and trade unions have also announced a countrywide rural strike on Friday.
(This story has not been edited by Diplomat Times’s staff and all content from auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Indian Farmers Stage Resurgence in Protests Against Government Policies
New Delhi, INDIA (AP/DT) – Tens of thousands of Indian farmers are marching toward the capital to demand guaranteed crop prices, renewing a movement from two years ago that succeeded in getting the government to repeal contentious new agricultural laws.
On Tuesday, police used tear gas, detained a number of farmers and heavily barricaded border points to block the protesters from entering New Delhi.
Authorities are determined to control the new demonstrations to avoid a repeat of the 2021 protests, in which tens of thousands of farmers camped outside the capital for over a year, enduring a harsh winter and a devastating COVID-19 surge.
In a significant resurgence, Indian farmers have once again taken to the streets to protest against government policies that they claim are detrimental to their livelihoods and well-being. The renewed protests mark a continuation of the farmers’ agitation that began over a year ago and have intensified in recent weeks.
WHY ARE FARMERS PROTESTING AGAIN?
The farmers, who rode on tractors and trucks from neighboring Haryana and Punjab states, say the government has failed to meet some of their key demands from the previous protests.
Farmers run for cover after police fired tear gas to disperse protesting farmers who were marching to New Delhi near the Punjab-Haryana border at Shambhu, India, Tuesday, Feb.13, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajesh Sachar)
In 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi repealed a set of agricultural laws that had triggered the first round of protests from farmers, who said the legislation would hurt their incomes.
But farmer groups that are leading the current march say that since then, the government hasn’t made progress on other important demands such as guaranteed crop prices, a doubling of farmers’ income and loan waivers.
The demand for legislation that will guarantee minimum support prices is at the heart of their protests.
Currently, the government protects agricultural producers against any sharp fall in farm prices by setting a minimum purchase price for certain essential crops, a system that was introduced in the 1960s to help shore up food reserves and prevent shortages. But the farmers are demanding that this be extended to all farm produce, and not just essential crops.
WHAT HAPPENED LAST TIME?
In November 2021, Modi’s announcement that his government would quash the controversial laws was widely seen as a win for the farmers and a rare retreat by the populist leader.
The government had defended the laws as necessary reforms to modernize Indian farming, but farmers feared the government’s move to introduce market reforms in agriculture would leave them poorer.
The protests, which began in northern India, triggered nationwide demonstrations and drew international support. Dozens of farmers died due to suicides, bad weather conditions and the pandemic.
Political commentators said the protest movement was the biggest challenge until that time for the Modi government, which then tried to paint its decision to scrap the laws as a move that prioritized farmers.
Rapid Action Force personnel guard a major highway at Singhu near New Delhi to stop thousands of protesting farmers from entering the capital, India, Tuesday, Feb.13, 2024. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR MODI’S GOVERNMENT?
The protests come at a crucial time for the governing party and Modi, who is widely expected to sweep upcoming national polls and secure a third successive term.
In 2021, Modi’s decision to do away with the laws was seen as a move to appease farmers ahead of crucial state polls.
Farmers form the most influential voting bloc in India and are often romanticized as the heart and soul of the nation.
Politicians have long considered it unwise to alienate them, and farmers are also particularly important to Modi’s base. Northern Haryana and a few other states with substantial farmer populations are ruled by his party.
If the protests were to gain the same kind of momentum as last time, it could pose a new test for Modi and his government just a few months before the general election.
