ЦЕНЗОРА.NET

LONDON — British and American authorities are investigating after several drones were spotted in recent days flying over four U.S. military bases in England. Britain has deployed dozens of troops around the bases amid concerns the overflights could be acts of deception or sabotage by an adversary such as Russia.

In a statement issued Wednesday, U.S. Air Forces in Europe said that “small unmanned aerial systems continue to be spotted in the vicinity of and over Royal Air Force Lakenheath, RAF Mildenhall, RAF Feltwell and RAF Fairford since Nov. 20.” It said the number of drones sighted has fluctuated and has ranged in size and configurations.

“To date, installation leaders have determined that none of the incursions impacted base residents, facilities or assets. The air force is taking all appropriate measures to safeguard the aforementioned installations and their residents,” the statement said.

RAF Lakenheath in the east of England is home to the U.S. Air Force 48th Fighter Wing, a cornerstone of its combat capability in Europe and home to several F-35 stealth fighter jets, among other aircraft. Four American B-52 strategic bombers are currently based at RAF Fairford in the west of the country.

The Pentagon said this week it is actively monitoring the situation. “The bottom line is it’s something that we’re going to take seriously. We’re continuing to look into it. But as of right now, [it] has not had any significant mission impact,” Pentagon spokesperson Major General Patrick Ryder told reporters Tuesday, adding that small drones have become “relatively common now across the landscape.”

Britain has deployed about 60 soldiers around the U.S. bases. British Defense Minister Maria Eagle said they are using “multilayered force protection measures.”

“We will be making sure that anybody that we manage to catch for engaging in this behavior is shown the full force of the law,” Eagle told lawmakers Wednesday.

The nature of the sightings suggests the drones are not being operated by hobbyists, said David Dunn, a professor of international politics at Britain’s University of Birmingham, who has written extensively on the dangers posed by drones.

“It’s particularly alarming in this context that actually talked about there [being] several different sizes of drones. It does seem to be a coordinated and planned activity. The most obvious thing is that these are disruptive practices and that they actually force the airfield to operate in a different way, to suspend air operations,” Dunn told VOA.

The drones can also be used for other purposes.

“They can gather intelligence on how many planes are operating, where they’re based, what the movements are. And, actually, they can also do that for individuals,” Dunn said.

Drones have been sighted above the U.S. base at RAF Feltwell, which primarily serves as living quarters for U.S. military personnel — a “particularly sinister” development, according to Dunn.

“Because in an age where you have highly sophisticated fifth-generation aircraft that operate stealthily and invisibly in the electronic spectrum when they’re flying — and are highly protected on the airbase in hardened aircraft shelters — the most vulnerable part of the overall system is actually the aircrew,” Dunn told VOA.

“And so, if you can identify where they live by following them home onto their married quarters, you can identify where you can actually break the weakest part of that chain,” he said.

The Times of London newspaper reported that authorities have not ruled out Russia as the culprit. Dunn said there’s evidence of Moscow seeking to step up hybrid attacks, meaning a nonmilitary form of warfare that can still be destructive.

“Whether that be the disruption of undersea cables or of incendiary parcels being sent to the city I live in, Birmingham — there was an incendiary parcel found in Birmingham airport. There’s another [example] of a warehouse being burned down, which stored material going to Ukraine. These things are typically, it seems, done at third party, whereby the Russian state, it seems, has employed criminals in the U,K.,” Dunn said.

The Russian Embassy in London had not responded to VOA requests for comment by the time of publication. Moscow has previously denied any involvement in hybrid attacks on the West.
…

British and American authorities are investigating why several drones were flying over four U.S. air bases in England in recent days. As Henry Ridgwell reports, Britain has deployed dozens of troops around the bases amid concerns such drones could be used to disrupt operations or carry out acts of deception and sabotage.
…

Some images from the 98th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade in New York.
…

Since 2004, former New York Times editor and now artist Sheryl Oring has been giving Americans a chance to speak their truth to the world. Dressed in 1950s secretary attire, she invites the public to speak their mind and records it on her vintage typewriter as part of a project called, “I Wish To Say.” Elena Wolf has the story, narrated by Anna Rice. Camera: Vladimir Badikov
…

«Четверо військовослужбовців Збройних Сил України вимушено здались у полон. Одразу після цього окупанти відкрили по них вогонь на ураження»
…

Вирок наразі не набрав чинності, його можна буде оскаржити в судах апеляційної та касаційної інстанцій
…

«Причина тимчасового посилення обмежень — пошкодження енергообʼєктів під час масованої ракетно-дронової атаки 28 листопада»
…

New York — A century after the first Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the annual holiday tradition kicks off Thursday in New York City with new Spider-Man and Minnie Mouse balloons, zoo and pasta-themed floats, performances from Jennifer Hudson and Idina Menzel, and more.

This year’s star-studded lineup is a far cry from the parade’s initial incarnation, which featured floats showing scenes from Mother Goose, Red Riding Hood and the Wolf, Miss Muffet and the Spider, and other fairy tales.

Some things remain the same, though. As in 1924, there will be plenty of marching bands and lots of clowns, followed by the grand finale of Santa Claus riding through Manhattan and ushering in the holiday season.

This year’s parade features 17 giant, helium-filled character balloons, 22 floats, 15 novelty and heritage inflatables, 11 marching bands, 700 clowns, 10 performance groups, award-winning singers and actors, and the WNBA champion New York Liberty.

One new float will spotlight the Rao’s food brand, featuring a knight and a dragon in battle made with actual pasta elements. Another will celebrate the Bronx Zoo’s 125th anniversary with representations of a tiger, a giraffe, a zebra and a gorilla.

“The work that we do, the opportunity to impact millions of people and bring a bit of joy for a couple of hours on Thanksgiving morning, is what motivates us every day,” said Will Coss, Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade executive producer.

The parade begins at 8:30 a.m. on Manhattan’s Upper West Side and ends 4 kilometers away around noon at Macy’s Herald Square flagship store on 34th Street, which serves as a stage and backdrop for performances.

It’ll happen rain or shine — the parade has only been canceled three times, from 1942 to 1944 during World War II — but organizers will be monitoring wind speeds throughout the festivities to make sure it’s safe for the big balloons to fly.

So far, the forecast calls for rain with temperatures in the upper-40s and winds around 16 kph, well within the acceptable range for letting Snoopy, Bluey and their friends soar. New York City law prohibits Macy’s from flying the full-size balloons if sustained winds exceed 37 kph or wind gusts are over 56 kph.

The parade airs on NBC with hosts Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb and Al Roker and streams on the network’s Peacock service. Carlos Adyan and Andrea Meza will host a Spanish simulcast on Telemundo.
…

WASHINGTON — As President-elect Donald Trump prepares for his second term as president of the United States, questions arise about what this means for U.S.-Africa relations. In this interview with VOA English to Africa’s Paul Ndiho, former diplomat Tibor Nagy, who served as Trump’s Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs from 2018 to 2021, shares insights into the administration’s past approach. Nagy shares his perspective on U.S. competition with China and Russia, trade policies, including the extension of the African Growth and Opportunity Act, commonly known as AGOA, which provides eligible sub-Saharan African countries with duty-free access to U.S. markets and the ongoing crises in the Sahel and other regions on the continent.

This interview, which aired on VOA’s Africa 54 TV program on November 27, from VOA headquarters in Washington, D.C., has been edited for clarity and brevity.

Paul Ndiho: As the former top diplomat for African affairs, what should we expect when it comes to President-elect Donald Trump’s second term for Africa?

Tibor Nagy: I’m very optimistic. I don’t think people should worry about the slogan “America First” because that doesn’t mean “America only.” There are many areas where interests between the U.S. and Africa intersect. China, we very much see as a long-term existential threat, and so I think we’ll be a little bit more honest in saying that part of our Africa relations is about China. Then there’s the very important issue of critical minerals. Why should China monopolize all the critical minerals in Africa when it would do much better if Western, i.e., American companies were also involved? So, I think Africans should be optimistic — I think they’ll have a lot more deals and a lot fewer lectures.

VOA: Many argue that China and Russia have an edge over the U.S. in Africa. What can the incoming Trump administration do better to compete with those two countries?

Nagy: I think you would agree that what Africans want more than anything else, especially young Africans, and everyone knows that there are millions and millions and millions of young Africans, are jobs. Frankly, yes, China has done an awful lot of infrastructure projects, but how many jobs did the African young people get out of that? I think the truth is that American and Western types of investments, do lead to the kind of jobs that young Africans are looking for. And I think that will be a successful foreign policy. And I think that that will be the true kind of win-win for both sides.

VOA: President-elect Trump is proposing a 10% tariff on all goods coming into the United States, obviously with AGOA, Africans are supposed to bring goods to the United States free of tariffs. What should we expect?

Nagy: What we should expect is to see what happens, aside from during campaigns, a lot of things are said, and then what the actual policy is might be a little bit different. I mean, AGOA is a law passed by Congress and I’m sure that the United States of America will comply with that law. And as you also well know that law will be going out soon and everybody’s kind of looking forward and wondering what kind of a new AGOA there will be.

VOA: How about the issue of the Sahel? There is a crisis in the Sahel. There are wars in Sudan, in the Democratic Republic of Congo. How can the incoming Trump administration do better on this front?

Nagy: The “three Cs” — crises, conflicts, and coups — have been really horrible. Again, here, U.S. engagement needs to be different. Lecturing, for example, the military government in Niger, I think had a lot to do with us being kicked out of some very valuable air bases that where we had agreements with and the whole issue of coups, I think it’s important for the United States to look at coups individually. When a coup happens and we say it’s a coup, then we have to cut certain ties and engagements. What we do is we call some coups, coups, and other coups, not coups, as it happened, for example, in Gabon, we didn’t call it a coup. We just need to be a little bit more honest and say we really need to be much more flexible in how we engage with those governments because often the military government really needs engagement more to kind of help them see the way forward, especially those that are very popular with the people when they happen.

VOA: What would you do differently if you got your old job back?

Nagy: I’m not looking to get my old job back because being Assistant Secretary once — is enough. I would look differently to be a little bit less hypocritical, to drop the megaphone, to engage with African governments where they are, not where we want them to be, and to see the world as it is and especially put so much more energy into Sudan, Ethiopia, Sahel, those kinds of conflicts.

This Q&A originated in VOA’s English to Africa Service.
…

Three U.S. citizens imprisoned by China were on their way home late Wednesday, U.S. officials said, culminating years of U.S. diplomatic efforts to free Americans Washington says were wrongfully detained by Beijing.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he spoke to Kai Li, Mark Swidan and John Leung “as they traveled home to the United States just in time for Thanksgiving.”

“I told them how glad I was that they were in good health and that they’ll soon be reunited with their loved ones,” Blinken posted on X, formerly Twitter.

The White House announced the release of the Americans on Wednesday.

“We are pleased to announce the release of Mark Swidan, Kai Li, and John Leung from detention in the People’s Republic of China,” a National Security Council spokesperson said in a statement.

The development is a diplomatic win for President Joe Biden, who will be leaving office in January. With the men’s release, “all of the wrongfully detained Americans” in China have been returned, the spokesperson added.

Biden and his aides have raised the issue of the three Americans with Beijing repeatedly, according to U.S. officials. In his last in-person meeting on the sidelines of the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Peru earlier this month, Biden also spoke to Chinese President Xi Jinping to press for their return.

China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Thursday three Chinese nationals “wrongfully imprisoned” by the United States had been returned to China.

Mark Swidan had been held since 2012 and received the death sentence in 2019. He maintained his innocence.

John Leung was sentenced last year to life in prison. A U.S. citizen who also holds permanent residency in Hong Kong, he was detained on April 15, 2021, by the local bureau of China’s counterintelligence agency in the southeastern city of Suzhou, according to The Associated Press.

Kai Li, a naturalized U.S. citizen who owned an export business and worked in New York, was arrested after flying into Shanghai in September 2016. He was placed under surveillance, interrogated without a lawyer and accused of providing state secrets to the FBI. In 2018, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison for espionage, a charge that he has denied.

The release comes just two months after China freed a Christian pastor from California, David Lin, who had been held since 2006. He was convicted of contract fraud.

Revised travel warning

On Wednesday, the State Department lowered its travel warning for China to “reflect a shift to Level 2,” according to the department’s website.

The current advisory warns travelers, “Exercise increased caution when traveling to Mainland China due to arbitrary enforcement of local laws, including in relation to exit bans.”

The alert had previously been at Level 3, telling Americans they should “reconsider travel” to China in part because of the “risk of wrongful detention” of Americans.

VOA Senior White House Correspondent Patsy Widakuswara contributed to this report. Information from The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Press was also used in this report. 
…

NEW YORK — Donald Trump has sought to have a civil judgment against him for fraud and a $464 million penalty set aside “for the greater good of the country” as he prepares to return to power. 

Trump’s lawyers filed a letter Tuesday with New York attorney general Letitia James, who brought the proceeding against the president-elect for manipulating his assets when applying for loans and insurances. 

Judge Arthur Engoron ruled against Trump in February, going on to order the mogul-turned-politician pay $464 million, including interest, while his sons Eric and Don Jr. were told to hand over more than $4 million each. 

Trump subsequently sought to challenge the civil ruling as well as the scale and terms of the penalty, which has continued to accrue interest while he appeals. 

“We write to request that you completely dismiss the above-referenced case against President Donald J. Trump, his family, and his businesses, and stipulate to vacate the Judgment and dismiss all claims with prejudice,” said the letter from attorney John Sauer, Trump’s nominee for solicitor general. 

“In the aftermath of his historic election victory, President Trump has called for our Nation’s partisan strife to end, and for the contending factions to join forces for the greater good of the country.  

“This call for unity extends to the legal onslaught against him.” 

In the letter, reported by U.S. media, Sauer pointed to recent moves to end or suspend proceedings in several of the criminal cases that Trump had faced. 

“This case warrants the same treatment. As detailed in our appellate briefing, this action exceeds the New York Attorney General’s authority under Executive Law … the dismissal of the case would restore (her) power to its more legitimate scope,” the letter said. 

Sauer suggested that if James does not dismiss the case outright, he might seek to argue that the case is unconstitutional, as it interferes with Trump’s role as president.  

Sauer did not respond to an AFP request for comment. 
…

WASHINGTON — A U.S. plan to deploy sophisticated missiles on a Japanese island chain close to Taiwan is prompting angry responses from both China and its close ally Russia.

The United States is drawing up a joint military plan with Japan to deploy High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and other weapons to Japan’s Nansei islands, according to a Sunday report by Kyodo News, which cited unnamed sources. The plan is expected to be completed by December.

The island chain stretches from Japan’s main islands to within 200 kilometers of Taiwan and includes Okinawa,which has a major U.S. military presence. The U.S. could use the missiles to defend Taiwan in case of a Chinese invasion of the self-ruled island, which Beijing claims as a renegade province.

The plan, the first joint operation by the U.S. and Japan to prepare for a war between Taiwan and China, will involve sending a U.S. Marine Corps regiment that possesses HIMARS and setting up temporary bases on the Nansai islands to station them, said Kyodo. The Japan Self-Defense Forces would be expected to provide logistic support, including fuel and ammunition.

A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson criticized the reported plan at a press conference on Monday, saying, “China opposes relevant countries using the Taiwan question as an excuse to strengthen military deployment in the region, heighten tensions and confrontation, and disturb regional peace and stability.”

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova responded with a stronger statement, warning that her country would respond to the deployment with “necessary and proportionate steps” to strengthen its defense capabilities, according to the Russian news agency Tass on Wednesday. 

“We have repeatedly warned the Japanese side that if, as a result of such cooperation, U.S. medium-range missiles emerge on its territory, this will pose a real threat to the security of our country,” Zakharova said.

Tass also quoted Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov urging Washington to reconsider the deployment of missiles to the Asia-Pacific.  He warned that Moscow will not rule out stationing shorter- and intermediate-range missiles in Asia in response to the U.S. deployment. 

Earlier in November, Russian President Vladimir Putin said China is Russia’s ally and “Taiwan is part of China,” and that China conducting wargames near the island is “a completely reasonable policy” while Taipei is escalating tensions.

While Russia and China have no formal military treaty, Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping have spoken of having a “no limits” partnership, and the United States accuses China of supporting Russia’s war efforts against Ukraine.

U.S. Secretary Antony Blinken said at a press conference held at the G7 meeting in Italy on Tuesday that China’s support for Russia’s defense industry is “allowing Russia to continue the aggression against Ukraine.”

US-Japan missile plan

Despite Moscow’s alarming rhetoric, analysts say the deployment of HIMARS to the region is primarily aimed at protecting Taiwan from Chinese warships.

“The most important purpose of HIMARS” would be “an anti-ship capability” and to “protect the island and base itself,” said Michael O’Hanlon, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.

Navy Adm. Samuel Paparo, commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, said last week at a forum held by the Brookings Institution that China this past summer conducted its largest rehearsal to date for an invasion of Taiwan involving 152 vessels. He cautioned that the U.S. “must be ready.”

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy possesses the world’s largest naval force with over 370 ships and submarines while the U.S. has about 290 vessels.

Eye on Chinese invasion

Timothy Heath, senior international defense researcher at the RAND Corp., said HIMARS on the Nansei islands “could help sink amphibious landing ships as well as destroyers and other PLA Navy ships that might approach the island from the north” and also “target concentrations of PLA troops on beaches near Taipei.”

Heath continued, “The fielding of these weapons systems shows that the U.S. and its allies are learning lessons from the Ukraine theater, where HIMARS have been effectively deployed against Russia.”

The U.S. is also planning to deploy the Multi-Domain Task Force’s (MDTS) long-range firing units to the Philippines, said Kyodo news on Sunday. The MDTS uses HIMARS as long-range firing units.

“The deployment of HIMARS to Nansei islands and long-range firing units to the Philippines will impose greater costs on China,” said Ryo Hinata-Yamaguchi, an associate professor at Tokyo International University Institute for International Strategy and a nonresident senior fellow with the Atlantic Council’s Indo-Pacific Security Initiative.

“Both locations are vital to deter China’s aggressive moves in not only the Taiwan Strait and East China Seas, but also Beijing’s ambitions in the Pacific. Still, one can expect China to do more to outdo such measures by enhancing their military readiness and conducting more assertive activities in the coming years,” he said.

Taiwan and the Philippines, as well as Japan and Indonesia, make up what China calls the first island chain potentially blocking its military access to the Pacific.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin concluded a nine-day trip to the Indo-Pacific on Monday after a series of meetings with the defense heads of countries in the region, including Japan, the Philippines, Australia and South Korea.

At the meetings, Japan agreed to increase its participation in annual trilateral amphibious training with the U.S. and Australia. The Philippines agreed to share military intelligence by signing a General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) with the U.S.  
…

Wednesday marks the 74th anniversary of the start of the battle of Chosin Reservoir, a key moment in the Korean War. On November 27, 1950, Chinese forces launched a surprise attack on American troops that lasted 17 days in freezing weather.

VOA Mandarin has an exclusive interview with Robert Harlan, one of the survivors of the Battle of Chosin Reservoir (Lake Changjin). Harlan’s experience is different from what was depicted in a Chinese epic movie: “The Battle on Lake Changjin,” commissioned by China’s Communist Party in 2021.

See the full story here.
…

WASHINGTON — A top U.S. lawmaker has pledged to work with rights groups as a special advocate for Dang Dinh Bach, a Vietnamese climate activist and political prisoner, and called on Hanoi to immediately release Bach from jail.

Representative Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, announced that he will advocate for Bach through the Defending Freedoms Project, part of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, according to a statement exclusively obtained by VOA Mandarin Service.

“Vietnam’s communist government maintains its clutch on power by crusading hard against good faith dissenters like Dang Dinh Bach, breaching the fundamental political, social and civil rights of their people,” Raskin said in the statement.

“Mr. Bach’s continued unjust detainment is an affront to global human rights law and climate activism around the world, and I am honored to sponsor his case through the Lantos Commission’s Defending Freedom Project. Mr. Bach should be released immediately,” Raskin said.

VOA asked the Vietnamese Embassy in the U.S. for comment about Bach’s case but has not received a response.

Bach is an environmental lawyer and co-founder and former executive director of the Law and Policy of Sustainable Development Research Center. The LPSD is a Vietnamese nonprofit organization that works with local communities to protect the environment and promote human rights.

Bach was arrested in 2021 and convicted of tax evasion a year later. He was allowed to meet with his lawyers only 10 days prior to the trial and is serving a five-year sentence at a prison in Vietnam’s Nghe An Province. Human rights advocates call the tax invasion charge fraudulent. Authorities shut down LPSD after Bach’s arrest.

The Defending Freedoms Project was launched in 2012 in collaboration with the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom and Amnesty International USA. It has since expanded to include Reporters Without Borders, Freedom House, Freedom Now, Scholars at Risk, PEN America and the Senate Human Rights Caucus.

According to DFP, members of Congress sponsoring a prisoner receive a detailed toolkit for advocacy, which includes writing letters to prisoners and their families, giving speeches and publishing op-eds. They can also initiate legislative actions, hold discussions or hearings and petition executive departments such as the State Department and the White House for support.

By taking on a case, lawmakers can help secure releases, reduce sentences, improve prison conditions and raise awareness of unjust laws.

In Vietnam, more than 160 political prisoners are in jail, according to Human Rights Watch.

Bach is one of several climate activists imprisoned in Vietnam after advocating for the country’s move away from coal-based energy. His case has received widespread attention from human rights groups and environment groups.

“Dang Dinh Bach is a dedicated rights defender focused on climate issues, currently serving a five-year prison sentence in Vietnam on dubious charges of ‘tax evasion,’” said Kat Cosgrove, deputy director of policy and advocacy at Freedom House.

“Since 2021, Vietnamese authorities have frequently used this charge to target and silence local activists, and these charges appear aimed solely at stopping Mr. Bach’s vital work and weakening civil society,” she said.

Maureen Harris, senior adviser for International Rivers and coordinator of the Vietnam Climate Defenders Coalition, called on the international community to speak out for Bach.

“Environmental human rights defenders like Bach are critical to the battle against climate change. Vietnam’s government should stop persecuting climate leaders. I hope that the international community stands up for Bach and calls on the Vietnamese government to end his wrongful incarceration,” she said.

The U.S. State Department, the European Union and the United Nations have previously issued statements calling not only for Bach’s release but other climate activists wrongfully imprisoned in Vietnam.

In May 2023, the U.N. Human Rights Council’s Working Group on Arbitrary Detention issued an opinion finding Bach’s imprisonment in “violation of international law.”

The group called for his immediate release and expressed concern about a “systemic problem with arbitrary detention” of environmental defenders in Vietnam.
…