Congo court sentences 3 Americans and 34 others to death on coup charges

Congo court sentences 3 Americans and 34 others to death on coup charges
Along the back row shows from left: Benjamin Reuben Zalman-Polun, Marcel Malanga and Tyler Thompson, all American citizens, attend a court verdict in Congo, Kinshasa, on Sept. 13, 2024, on charges of taking part in a coup attempt in May 2024. (AP)
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Updated 14 September 2024
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Congo court sentences 3 Americans and 34 others to death on coup charges

Congo court sentences 3 Americans and 34 others to death on coup charges
  • The defendants, including a Briton, Belgian and Canadian, took part in a botched coup attempt led by the little-known opposition figure Christian Malanga in May
  • Malanga was fatally shot while resisting arrest soon after live-streaming the attack on his social media, according to the Congolese army

KINSHASA, Congo: A military court in Congo handed down death sentences Friday to 37 people, including three Americans, after convicting them on charges of participating in a coup attempt.
The defendants, most of them Congolese but also including a Briton, Belgian and Canadian, have five days to appeal the verdict on charges that include attempted coup, terrorism and criminal association. Fourteen people were acquitted in the trial, which opened in June.
The open-air military court in the capital, Kinshasa, convicted the 37 defendants and imposed “the harshest penalty, that of death” in the verdict delivered in French by presiding judge Maj. Freddy Ehuma. The three Americans, wearing blue and yellow prison clothes and sitting in plastic chairs, appeared stoic as a translator explained their sentence.
Richard Bondo, the lawyer who defended the six foreigners, disputed whether the death penalty could currently be imposed in Congo, despite its reinstatement earlier this year, and said his clients had inadequate interpreters during the investigation of the case.
“We will challenge this decision on appeal,” Bondo said.
Six people were killed during the botched coup attempt led by the little-known opposition figure Christian Malanga in May that targeted the presidential palace and a close ally of President Felix Tshisekedi. Malanga was fatally shot while resisting arrest soon after live-streaming the attack on his social media, the Congolese army said.
Malanga’s 21-year-old son Marcel Malanga, who is a US citizen, and two other Americans were convicted in the coup attempt. He told the court that his father had forced him and his high school friend to take part in the attack.
“Dad had threatened to kill us if we did not follow his orders,” Marcel Malanga said.
Other members of the ragtag militia recounted similar threats from the elder Malanga, and some described being duped into believing they were working for a volunteer organization.
Marcel’s mother, Brittney Sawyer, maintains that her son is innocent and was simply following his father, who considered himself president of a shadow government in exile. In the months since her son’s arrest, Sawyer has focused her energy on fundraising to send him money for food, hygiene products and a bed. He has been sleeping on the floor of his cell at the Ndolo military prison and is suffering from a liver disease, she said.
The other Americans are Tyler Thompson Jr., 21, who flew to Africa from Utah with the younger Malanga for what his family believed was a free vacation, and Benjamin Reuben Zalman-Polun, 36, who is reported to have known Christian Malanga through a gold mining company. The company was set up in Mozambique in 2022, according to an official journal published by Mozambique’s government, and a report by the Africa Intelligence newsletter.
US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters in Washington on Friday that the federal government was aware of the verdict. The department has not declared the three Americans wrongfully detained, making it unlikely that US officials would try to negotiate their return.
“We understand that the legal process in the DRC allows for defendants to appeal the court’s decision,” Miller said. “Embassy staff have been attending these proceedings as they’ve gone through the process. We continue to attend the proceedings and follow the developments closely.”
Thompson had been invited on an Africa trip by the younger Malanga, his former high school football teammate in a Salt Lake City suburb. But the itinerary might have included more than sightseeing. Other teammates alleged that Marcel had offered up to $100,000 to join him on a “security job” in Congo, and they said he seemed desperate to bring along an American friend.
Thompson’s family maintains he had no knowledge of the elder Malanga’s intentions, no plans for political activism and didn’t even plan to enter Congo. He and the Malangas were meant to travel only to South Africa and Eswatini, his stepmother, Miranda Thompson, told The Associated Press.
The Thompsons’ lawyer in Utah, Skye Lazaro, said the family is heartbroken over the verdict.
“We urge all who have supported Tyler and the family throughout this process to write to your congressmen and request their assistance in bringing him home,” Lazaro said.
Utah’s US Sens. Mitt Romney and Mike Lee have not publicly urged the US government to advocate for the Americans’ release.
“My thoughts are with the families during this difficult time,” Lee told the AP on Friday. “We will continue to work with the State Department to receive updates on this case.”
“This is an extremely difficult and frightening situation for the families involved,” Romney spokesperson Dilan Maxfield said. “Our office has consistently engaged with the State Department and will continue to do so.”
Last month, the military prosecutor, Lt. Col. Innocent Radjabu, called on the judge to sentence all of the defendants to death, except for one who suffers from “psychological problems.”
Congo reinstated the death penalty earlier this year, lifting a more than two-decade-old moratorium, as authorities struggle to curb violence and militant attacks in the country. The country’s penal code allows the president to designate the method of execution. Past executions of militants in Congo have been carried out by firing squad.
 


UN: Half a million stateless people got citizenship in past decade

UN: Half a million stateless people got citizenship in past decade
Updated 11 sec ago
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UN: Half a million stateless people got citizenship in past decade

UN: Half a million stateless people got citizenship in past decade
  • The UNHCR describes statelessness as ‘a major human rights violation’
  • Last year, the UNHCR reported that there were 4.4 million stateless people recorded
GENEVA: The UN said Friday that in the decade since it launched a campaign to end the limbo of statelessness, over half a million people without a nationality had acquired citizenship.
In a report, the United Nations’ refugee agency detailed the progress made since it launched its #IBelong campaign in 2014. Its aim was to mobilize international action to resolve the problem of statelessness.
The UNHCR described statelessness as “a major human rights violation.”
It leaves people politically and economically marginalized, unable to access critical services and particularly vulnerable to exploitation and abuse, the agency argued.
Last year, the UNHCR reported that there were 4.4 million stateless people recorded, but that millions more were affected since the data only covers around half of the world’s countries.
The campaign, which ends this year, aimed to address “a largely invisible crisis: that of millions of people around the world living in the shadows, without a nationality, unable to assert their most basic human rights,” said UNHCR chief Filippo Grandi.
While welcoming “significant progress” toward the ambitious goal of ending statelessness, he added “our work is not yet done.”
The report found that “more than 565,900 stateless people and persons with undetermined nationality gained nationality” over the past decade.
Australian actor Cate Blanchett, UNHCR’s goodwill ambassador, said the progress had been “remarkable.”
“Twenty countries have improved rights for stateless people, (and) 13 countries have passed laws to ensure that no child is born stateless,” she said.
“We must make sure that anyone still living without nationality is given the right to be recognized and included.”
UNHCR highlighted the efforts made in several countries, including Turkmenistan, Portugal, North Macedonia, Rwanda, Brazil and Thailand.
Kyrgyzstan has resolved all known cases of statelessness on its territory, the agency added.
It pointed out that 77 more countries had joined the UN Statelessness Conventions, and at least 22 countries had adopted national action plans toward ending statelessness.
“Great strides have been made to remedy this devastating blight, but the need for further action remains critical,” said Ruven Menikdiwela, UNHCR’s assistant high commissioner for protection.
“There are still countless people who do not exist on paper — and hence are pushed to the fringes of society, simply because of ethnic, religious or gender discrimination, or because of flaws in nationality laws and policies,” she said.
While the #IBelong campaign is wrapping up, UNHCR said it would host a high-level meeting on statelessness during its executive committee meeting in Geneva Monday.
It also said it was launching a new “Global Alliance to end Statelessness.”

Florida counts cost of Hurricane Milton amid political storm

Florida counts cost of Hurricane Milton amid political storm
Updated 9 min 48 sec ago
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Florida counts cost of Hurricane Milton amid political storm

Florida counts cost of Hurricane Milton amid political storm
  • While Milton did not trigger the catastrophic surge of seawater that was feared in Florida, the clean-up operation could take many weeks or months for some people

FORT PIERCE/ST. PETERSBURG, Florida: F lorida on Friday was clearing downed trees and power lines and mopping up flooded neighborhoods after Hurricane Milton roared through leaving at least 16 people dead.
While Milton did not trigger the catastrophic surge of seawater that was feared in Florida, one of many states hit by Hurricane Helene about two weeks ago, the clean-up operation could take many weeks or months for some people.
“It opens your eyes to what Mother Nature can do,” said Chase Pierce, 25 of west St. Petersburg, who, with his girlfriend, saw transformers blow up, sparks fly and a power line fall in the back yard.
The fifth-most-intense Atlantic hurricane on record, Milton could cost insurers alone up to $100 billion, analysts say.
The White House pledged government support as the full extent of the damage was still being surveyed.
But Republican Donald Trump, who trails Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris according to recent Reuters/Ipsos polling ahead of the Nov. 5 presidential election, attacked his opponents for their handling of storm recovery efforts.
“The federal government ... has not done what you are supposed to be doing, in particular, with respect to North Carolina,” he said on Thursday. North Carolina was hard-hit by Helene, and Trump faces a tight battle against Harris there.
Harris, who has said Trump is spreading lies about the government’s response, hit back at the politicization of the issue during a town hall event on Univision on Thursday.
“Sadly, we have seen over the last two weeks, since Hurricane Helene, and now in the immediate aftermath of Milton, where people are playing political games,” she said, without naming Trump.
Politicians of both stripes are deeply aware of how Republican President George W. Bush’s approval ratings fell after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans in 2005 and never recovered from a response deemed inadequate by many at the time.
The Biden administration said the Federal Emergency Management Agency will need additional funding from Congress, where the Republicans control the House and Democrats control the Senate, and urged lawmakers, who are on recess, to act.
DEADLY TORNADOES
Floridians say they came through a double disaster.
While Milton came ashore on the state’s western coast on Wednesday evening, some of its worst havoc was wrought more than 100 miles (160 km) away along the state’s eastern shore.
There were at least 16 hurricane-related deaths, CBS News cited the Florida Department of Law Enforcement as saying.
In St. Lucie County, an advance flurry of tornadoes killed several people, including at least two in the senior-living Spanish Lakes communities, according to local officials.
Between Siesta Key and Fort Myers Beach, peak water levels reached 5 to 10 feet (1.5 to 3 m) above ground level, according a preliminary analysis posted by the National Hurricane Center.
Some 2.75 million homes and businesses in Florida overall were without power late on Thursday, according to PowerOutage.us.
Some have been waiting days for power to be restored after Hurricane Helene hit the area.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis cautioned on Thursday that although the state had avoided the “worst-case scenario,” the damage was still significant.


At least 20 killed in attack on miners in southwestern Pakistan, police say

At least 20 killed in attack on miners in southwestern Pakistan, police say
Updated 26 min 11 sec ago
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At least 20 killed in attack on miners in southwestern Pakistan, police say

At least 20 killed in attack on miners in southwestern Pakistan, police say
  • The attackers gathered the miners at one place and opened fire on them, local media reported
  • There are ten coal mines located in the area, a company official told local media

QUETTA, Pakistan: At least 20 miners were killed and seven injured in an attack by armed men on a small private coal mine in the southwestern Pakistani province of Balochistan on Friday, police said.
The mineral-rich region borders Afghanistan and Iran and has been troubled for decades as Baloch insurgent groups fight against the state, saying it denies them their share of regional resources.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
“A group of armed men attacked the Junaid Coal company mines in the Duki area in the wee hours using heavy weapons,” said Humayun Khan, the police station house officer for the town, located east of the city of Quetta.
They fired rockets and grenades at the mines as well, he added.
The attackers gathered the miners at one place and opened fire on them, local media reported, adding that they also set mining machinery on fire.
There are ten coal mines located in the area, a company official told local media.
“We have received 20 bodies and six injured so far at the district hospital,” said Johar Khan Shadizai, a doctor in Duki.
Pakistan has seen a resurgence of Islamist militancy since 2022 when a ceasefire between the Pakistani Taliban and the government broke down.
Two Chinese nationals working for a power plant were killed and a third injured in an explosion near the international airport in the southern city of Karachi earlier this week.
The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), one of several insurgent groups battling the government, claimed responsibility for the attack.
BLA was also behind Balochistan’s most widespread violence in years in August, when separatist militants attacked police stations, railway lines, and highways, killing more than 70 people.
The region saw violence last month too when armed men stormed a residence housing laborers from eastern Punjab province, killing seven of them.
The attacks come as the country is preparing to host the summit of the eight-member Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in capital Islamabad next week.
The event is expected to see high-level Chinese representation and will also be attended by India’s foreign minister.


Tesla CEO Musk unveils ‘Cybercab’, ‘Robovan’ as focus shifts to automation

Tesla CEO Musk unveils ‘Cybercab’, ‘Robovan’ as focus shifts to automation
Updated 11 October 2024
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Tesla CEO Musk unveils ‘Cybercab’, ‘Robovan’ as focus shifts to automation

Tesla CEO Musk unveils ‘Cybercab’, ‘Robovan’ as focus shifts to automation
  • Cybercab production to start in 2026, to cost less than $30,000
  • Also showcased were the Robovan, capable of carrying up to 20 people, and Tesla's Optimus humanoid robot

Tesla CEO Elon Musk showcased a two-door robotaxi with gull-wing doors and no steering wheel or pedals at a much-hyped event on Thursday, sticking to long-held promises of autonomous cars driving long-term growth at the electric vehicle maker.
Musk traveled to the stage in a "Cybercab" and said production will start in 2026 with the vehicles being available to buy for less than $30,000.
"The autonomous future is here," Musk said. "We have 50 fully autonomous cars here tonight. You'll see model Ys and the Cybercab. All driverless."
The Cybercab will cost 20 cents a mile to operate over time, use inductive chargers and not require any plugs. They will also rely only on cameras and artificial intelligence, without the need for other hardware that robotaxi players use.
Musk also showcased a larger, self-driving vehicle — called Robovan — capable of carrying up to 20 people, and showed off Tesla's Optimus humanoid robot.

Tesla's robovan is unveiled at an event in Los Angeles, California, on October 10, 2024. (Tesla/Handout via REUTERS)

Enthusiasm around the event has been on display across social media for weeks, with screenshots of invites and speculation on what might be disclosed. But investors and analysts have flagged challenges with the technology and reined in expectations.
Musk's plan is to operate a fleet of self-driving Tesla taxis that passengers can hail through an app. Individual Tesla owners will also be able to make money on the app by listing their vehicles as robotaxis.
Thursday's event at the Warner Bros studio near Los Angeles, California, is titled "We, Robot" - an apparent nod to the "I, Robot" science-fiction short stories by American writer Isaac Asimov, but also echoes Musk's insistence that Tesla "should be thought of as an AI robotics company" rather than an automaker.
Those attending included investors, stock analysts and Tesla fans.
"Everything looks cool, but not much in terms of time lines, I'm a shareholder and pretty disappointed. I think the market wanted more definitive time lines," said Dennis Dick, equity trader at Triple D Trading. "I don't think he said much about anything... He didn't give much info."

Tesla's Optimus robots walk on the day of an unveiling event in Los Angeles, California,on October 10, 2024. (Tesla/Handout via REUTERS)

Missed promises
Musk said in 2019 he was "very confident" the company would have operational robotaxis by the next year. After missed promises, Musk this year diverted his focus to developing the vehicles after scrapping plans to build a smaller, cheaper car widely seen as essential to countering slowing EV demand.
Tesla is at risk of posting its first-ever decline in deliveries this year as buying incentives have failed to attract enough customers to its aging EV lineup. Steep price cuts meant to offset high interest rates have also squeezed profit margins.
Complicated technology and tight regulation have led to billion of dollars in loss for other companies attempting to crack the robotaxi market, forcing some to shut shop.
Some are still pushing, including General Motors' Cruise, Amazon's Zoox and Chinese firms such as WeRide.
Unlike expensive hardware such as lidar that others use, Musk is relying only on cameras and AI to run FSD to keep costs down. But FSD, which requires constant driver attention, has faced regulatory and legal scrutiny with at least two fatal accidents involving the technology.

 


Blinken at ASEAN meet condemns China’s ‘increasingly dangerous’ sea moves

Blinken at ASEAN meet condemns China’s ‘increasingly dangerous’ sea moves
Updated 11 October 2024
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Blinken at ASEAN meet condemns China’s ‘increasingly dangerous’ sea moves

Blinken at ASEAN meet condemns China’s ‘increasingly dangerous’ sea moves
  • Blinken is representing the US at the annual Southeast Asian meeting, where China has heard directly from leaders of concern about the dispute-rife South China Sea
  • The Philippines has been alarmed by violent incidents as Beijing exerts its claims in the strategic waterway.

VIENTIANE, Laos: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken condemned Beijing’s “increasingly dangerous” actions in the South China Sea and voiced support for freedom of navigation as he met leaders of the ASEAN bloc on Friday.
“We remain concerned about China’s increasingly dangerous and unlawful actions on the South and East China Seas, which have injured people, harmed vessels from ASEAN nations and contradict commitments to peaceful resolution of disputes,” Blinken told Southeast Asian leaders gathered in Laos.
“The United States will continue to support freedom of navigation and freedom of overflight in the Indo-Pacific,” he said.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, back right, takes part in the 12th ASEAN-US Summit in Vientiane on  Oct. 11, 2024. (Pool Photo via AP)

Blinken said that the United States also hoped to work with ASEAN leaders to “protect stability across the Taiwan Strait,” where tension has risen again as China this week denounced remarks by the self-governing democracy’s president.

Blinken is representing the United States at the annual Southeast Asian meeting, where China has heard directly from leaders of concern about the dispute-rife South China Sea.
The Philippines has been alarmed by violent incidents as Beijing exerts its claims in the strategic waterway.
 

Another prominent theme at the summit is Myanmar, whose military junta sent a representative to the ASEAN meeting for the first time in more than three years. Myanmar’s delegation joined the meeting with Blinken but it was unclear if there was any direct interaction.
Blinken said he wanted to discuss the “deepening crisis in Myanmar” — a rare US usage of the country’s official name and not the former Burma.
Blinken also urged firmness against Russia’s “war of aggression” in Ukraine, ahead of a full East Asia Summit in which Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will participate.