Peng Shuai: Chinese tennis star denies making assault claim as concerns persist

Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai has denied making an accusation of sexual assault, in her first media interview since alleging a top Chinese leader had coerced her to have sex.

Ms Peng sparked global concern when she disappeared from public view after posting the allegations online.

She has now said there had been “a lot of misunderstandings” about the post.

The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) said it was still concerned that she was being censored by the state.

In the video interview with Lianhe Zaobao, a Singaporean Chinese-language newspaper, Ms Peng explained: “I have never said or written that anyone sexually assaulted me. This point must be emphasised very clearly.”

In her original note, which was posted on the Chinese social media platform Weibo in November, she accused former Vice-Premier Zhang Gaoli of forcing her to have sex with him.

Ms Peng, who appeared to have trouble hearing the reporter in the interview, and seemed surprised at the line of questioning, said she was not under surveillance.

“Why would anyone monitor [me?] [I have] always been very free,” she said.

Lianhe Zaobao is read in mainland China and has in recent years been known for its pro-Beijing coverage.

The interview was carried out on the sidelines of a sporting event in Shanghai, where she appeared with national athletes including basketball player Yao Ming. A video of Ms Peng speaking to the basketball star was posted to Twitter by a state media journalist in which the tennis player is the only person not wearing a mask.

Other images of her in Shanghai were posted to Twitter by sports executive Ding Li.

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.View original tweet on Twitter

Responding to her latest comments, the WTA, the governing body of women’s tennis, said it welcomed her appearance “in a public setting” but that it did not “alleviate or address… concerns about her wellbeing and ability to communicate without censorship or coercion”.

“We remain steadfast in our call for a full, fair and transparent investigation… into her allegation of sexual assault, which is the issue that gave rise to our initial concern,” the WTA said.

What happened to Peng Shuai?

On 2 November Ms Peng posted a 1,600-word note on Weibo, kicking off what would become the most significant case of its kind in China’s slow-moving #MeToo movement.

The note, addressed to Mr Zhang, claimed they had a romantic relationship and that he had also coerced her into having sex. “Why did you come back and seek me out, take me to your home, and force me to have sex with you,” read one line.

The post was swiftly scrubbed from Weibo, but not before it quickly went viral. Her account remains under restrictions with not a single media post displaying more recently than 10 September.

Peng Shuai: What we know so far

How China censored a tennis star

Ms Peng then vanished from public life for weeks, sparking concern worldwide about her safety. A #WhereisPengShuai campaign was launched, fuelled by calls from other tennis stars including Naomi Osaka, Serena Williams and Novak Djokovic.

The WTA has spearheaded calls for an investigation into her initial claims.

Chinese state media subsequently published pictures of her and carried a widely questioned e-mail that she purportedly wrote to the WTA where she said “everything is fine”.

The International Olympics Committee (IOC) also spoke to Ms Peng twice in video calls in which she reportedly said she was safe and well.

But many continue to believe the tennis star is under state duress and is being censored. The WTA has questioned the veracity of the email they received from Ms Peng.

In Sunday’s interview, the tennis star said she had written this email in Chinese herself, and that the English transl

Covid: Christmas travel will fuel spread of Omicron, US expert warns

Christmas travel will increase the spread of the Omicron Covid-19 variant, even among the fully vaccinated, the top US infectious disease expert says.

“There’s no doubt about this, [Omicron] has an extraordinary capability of spreading,” Dr Anthony Fauci told NBC’s Meet the Press programme on Sunday.

Dr Fauci, who advises the US government on the pandemic, said the variant was now “raging through the world”.

Countries are tightening measures as the heavily mutated variant spreads.

In Europe, France and Germany are among those to issue travel restrictions and the Netherlands has imposed a strict lockdown over Christmas.

Governments are also ramping up their Covid booster vaccination programmes after researchers said the additional shot could provide around 85% protection against severe illness.

Why do boosters work against Omicron if two doses struggle?

Covid map: Where are cases the highest?

How can I tell I have Omicron?

On Sunday, Dr Fauci said the rapid spread of Omicron in the US could have a serious impact on health services across the country.

“Our hospitals, if things look like they’re looking now, are going to be very stressed,” he warned.

Dr Fauci said people needed to take precautions such as wearing face masks and social distancing. He also urged more Americans to get their vaccine and booster shots.

“The difference between a vaccinated and boosted person who has an infection, and someone who has an infection who has never been vaccinated – it’s a major difference with regard to the risk of severity,” he said.

At a White House press briefing on Friday, Dr Fauci said unvaccinated people were at a much higher risk of serious infection and hospitalisation.

“We are looking over our shoulder at an oncoming Omicron surge,” he said, adding: “The fully vaccinated are doing much better… the optimum protection is fully vaccinated plus a boost.”

Almost 73% of the US population has received at least one Covid vaccination, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). So far, almost 30% have had a booster shot.

The latest CDC estimates suggest the Omicron variant accounts for about 3% of current cases, most of which have been recorded in the state of New York.

Since the start of the pandemic, the US has recorded more than 50 million cases of coronavirus, and more than 800,000 Covid-related deaths.

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West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin kills Biden’s BBB agenda on Fox

On Capitol Hill they call him the wolf in sheep’s clothing. And on Fox News, the Senator Joe Manchin finally appeared to ditch the sheep’s clothing an go full fledge wolf when he declared he would not vote with fellow Democrats to support President Biden’s Build Back Better plan.

Progressives on Capitol Hill have had to acquiesce to Manchin after months of signally that he would not be able to support the BBB plan that cost more than $1.75 trillion.

At the time Progressives had drawn their line at $3.5 trillion. Yet after months of haggling with Manchin able to hold that line at $1.75 trillion, he still declared his intention to vote “No” on Fox News of all platforms.

“If I can’t go home and explain it to the people of West Virginia, I can’t vote for it. And I cannot vote to continue with this piece of legislation. I just can’t. I’ve tried everything humanly possible. I can’t get there,” he told host Bret Baier on “Fox News Sunday.” “This is a no.”

At this stage in the negotiations, all sides appeared to have agreed on a $1.75 trillion price tag to fund investments in fighting climate change and social spending.

House Democrats voted to pass a smaller infrastructure bill in early November based on promises from Biden he could secure Senate support for the larger social spending bill.

Democrats are split with Republicans in the 100-member Senate with Vice President Kamala Harris holding a tie-breaking vote in a 50-50 vote.

But with Manchin’s ‘no’ vote, and not a single Republican expected to cross carpet, the BBB legislation appears dead at the moment.

DNT News, Washington DC

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Myanmar mass killings revealed

The Myanmar military carried out a series of mass killings of civilians in July that resulted in the deaths of at least 40 men, a BBC investigation has found.

Eyewitnesses and survivors said that soldiers, some as young as 17, rounded up villagers before separating the men and killing them. Video footage and images from the incidents appear to show most of those killed were tortured first and buried in shallow graves.

The killings took place in July, in four separate incidents in Kani Township – an opposition stronghold in Sagaing District in Central Myanmar.

It’s thought the killings were a collective punishment for attacks by militia groups demanding a return to democracy following a military coup in February. A spokesman for the military government did not deny the allegations.

The military has faced resistance from civilians since it seized control of the country, which is also called Burma, deposing a democratically-elected government led by Aung San Suu Kyi.

The BBC spoke to 11 witnesses in Kani and compared their accounts with mobile phone footage and photographs collected by Myanmar Witness, a UK-based NGO that investigates human rights abuses in the country.

The largest killing took place in Yin village, where at least 14 men were tortured or beaten to death and their bodies thrown in a forested gully.

The witnesses in Yin – whose names we have withheld to protect their identities – told the BBC the men were tied up with ropes and beaten before they were killed.

“We couldn’t stand to watch it so we kept our heads down, crying,” said one woman, whose brother, nephew and brother-in-law were killed.

“We begged them not to do it. They didn’t care. They asked the women, ‘Are your husbands among them? If they are, do your last rites’.”

A man who managed to escape the killings said that soldiers inflicted horrifying abuse on the men for hours before they died.

“They were tied up, beaten with stones and rifle butts and tortured all day,” the survivor said. “Some soldiers looked young, maybe 17 or 18, but some were really old. There was also a woman with them.” In nearby Zee Bin Dwin village, in late July, 12 mutilated bodies were found buried in shallow mass graves, including a small body, possibly a child, and the body of a disabled person. Some were mutilated.

The body of a man in his sixties was found tied to a plum tree nearby. Footage of his corpse, reviewed by the BBC, showed clear signs of torture. His family said that his son and grandchild had fled when the military entered the village, but he had stayed, believing his age would protect him from harm.

The killings appeared to be a collective punishment for attacks on the military by civilian militia groups in the area, who are demanding that democracy is restored. Fighting between the military and the local branches of the People’s Defense Force – a collective name for civilian militia groups – had intensified in the area in the months before the mass killings, including clashes near Zee Bin Dwin.

It is clear from the visual evidence and testimony gathered by the BBC that men were specifically targeted, fitting with a pattern observed across Myanmar in recent months of male villagers facing collective punishment for clashes between the People’s Defense Forces and the military.

The families of those killed insisted that the men were not involved in attacks on the military. A woman who lost her brother in the Yin village massacre said she pleaded with the soldiers, telling them her brother “could not even handle a catapult”.

She said a soldier replied, “Don’t say anything. We are tired. We will kill you.”

Foreign journalists have been barred from reporting in Myanmar since the coup, and most non-state media outlets have been shut down, making on-the-ground reporting all but impossible.

The BBC put the allegations raised in this story to Myanmar’s Deputy Minister for Information and military spokesperson, General Zaw Min Tun. He did not deny soldiers had carried out the mass killings.

“It can happen,” he said. “When they treat us as enemies, we have the right to defend ourselves.”

The United Nations is currently investigating alleged human rights abuses carried out by the Myanmar military.

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Leftist Gabriel Boric to become Chile’s youngest ever president

Leftist candidate Gabriel Boric has won Chile’s presidential election to become the country’s youngest ever leader.

In what was expected to be a tight race, the 35-year-old former protest leader defeated his far-right rival Antonio Kast by more than 10 points.

Mr Boric told supporters he would look after democracy, promising curbs on Chile’s neoliberal economic model.

He will lead a country that has been rocked in recent years by mass protests against inequality and corruption.

Mr Boric’s victory prompted celebrations on the streets of the capital Santiago, with his supporters waving flags and honking car horns.

In his speech, Mr Boric said he was taking on the job with humility and a “tremendous sense of responsibility”, vowing to “firmly fight against the privileges of a few”.

“We have an enormous challenge. I know that in the coming years, the future of our country is at stake, so I guarantee that I will be a president who cares for democracy and does not risk it, listens more than speaks, seeks unity, and attends to the needs of the people daily,” he told supporters.

Official results gave Mr Boric 56% of the votes against Mr Kast’s 44%. Mr Kast conceded defeat barely an hour-and-a-half after polls closed, and with around half of ballots counted.

Both candidates offered starkly different visions for the country, and both are outsiders representing political parties that have never been in government.

IMAGE SOURCE,REUTERS

Image caption,

Jubilant supporters of Mr Boric reacted to his victory

Once the most stable economy in Latin America, Chile has one of the world’s largest income gaps, with 1% of the population owning 25% of the country’s wealth, according to the United Nations.

Mr Boric has promised to address this inequality by expanding social rights and reforming Chile’s pension and healthcare systems, as well as reducing the work week from 45 to 40 hours, and boosting green investment.

“We know there continues to be justice for the rich, and justice for the poor, and we no longer will permit that the poor keep paying the price of Chile’s inequality,” he said.

The president-elect also promised to block a controversial proposed mining project which he said would destroy communities and the national environment.

• ON THE GROUND: Chile’s dark past hangs over presidential run-off

Supporters responded to the victory with uncontained joy.

“I’m very excited because this is an achievement of the people,” Andres Rodriques told Reuters news agency. “There have been many years of abuse and we need a renovation within politics. I have a lot of faith and hope in the youth.”

Patricia Alarcon said she was really happy. “I always had faith in Boric because I think our country deserved this – we deserved freedom, integration – we deserved this result,” she said.

A former student protest leader, Mr Boric backed the mass demonstrations against inequality and alleged corruption that rocked Chile in 2019 and 2020.

IMAGE SOURCE,SOCIAL MEDIA

Image caption,

Conceding defeat, José Antonio Kast said his rival “deserves all our respect”

His rival, meanwhile, stood on a platform of law and order, pledging cuts to tax and social spending.

Mr Kast also defended the legacy of Gen Pinochet, who took power in a coup and ruled the country from 1973 to 1990. Under his leadership more than 3,000 people were murdered by the state or disappeared, and thousands of political opponents were held in internment camps.

In a tweet, Mr Kast said he had called Mr Boric to congratulate him on his “great triumph”.

“From today he is the elected President of Chile and deserves all our respect and constructive collaboration,” he added.

The country is going through huge changes after voting overwhelmingly last year to re-write Chile’s Pinochet-era constitution.

Outgoing President Sebastián Piñera said Chile was living in “an environment of excessive polarisation, confrontation [and] disputes,” and urged his successor to “be the president of all Chileans.”

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Ethiopia war: World heritage site Lalibela back in government hands

The Ethiopian military has regained control of the historic town of Lalibela from Tigrayan rebels.

The move came amid an announcement by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) that it is withdrawing from all areas in the Amhara and Afar regions.

The TPLF said it took the decision to clear the way for a peaceful resolution to its conflict with the government.

The conflict has caused a massive humanitarian crisis, with international mediation efforts having so far failed.

It is unclear when the military retook Lalibela, but Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonnen Hassen visited the town, in Amhara, on Sunday.

Lalibela, famous for its rock-hewn churches which date back to the the 12th and 13th Centuries, was designated a Unesco world heritage site in 1978.

The town has changed hands several times since August.

On Saturday, the government said its troops had retaken several other towns as well, including Weldiya.

The TPLF has been withdrawing its fighters to its stronghold of Tigray after being forced to abandon its plan to advance on the capital Addis Ababa.

It said the withdrawals were part of “essential modifications” that it was making, though it did not confirm that it had pulled out of Lalibela and Weldiya.

Exploring the churches carved from rock

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed hs been to the frontlines to lead the fightback against the TPLF. The group had also been hit by airstrikes.

Thousands of people have been killed, millions have been left homeless and nearly 10 million are in need of food aid.

Fighting broke out over a year ago between government troops and the TPLF following a massive fall-out over political reforms introduced by Mr Abiy when he took office in 2018.

The TPLF had dominated the federal government for more than 25 years, and now controls most of Tigray.

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