Chinese property giant Vanke warns of huge loss, CEO resigns
Indebted Chinese property giant Vanke said Monday that its CEO had resigned due to “health reasons”, after state-backed media reported he had been taken away by authorities.The company also warned on Monday of a net loss of approximately 45 billion yuan ($6.2 billion) last year.Chinese outlet the Economic Reporter this month cited sources as saying that Zhu Jiusheng had been “taken away by public security authorities”, but did not specify whether he had been formally detained.Vanke has not confirmed Zhu’s detention but said in a statement on Monday that he “has applied to resign… owing to health reasons”.Zhu “will no longer hold any position within the company”, the firm said.Hong Kong-listed Vanke is part-owned by the government of Shenzhen and was China’s fourth-largest real-estate firm by sales last year, according to research firm CRIC.Alongside other real estate titans, it has staggered through a years-long debt crisis, and on Monday in a filing at the Hong Kong Stock exchange warned of a net loss of approximately 45 billion yuan last year.”The Company deeply apologises for the performance loss and will make every effort to promote business improvement,” it said in a separate statement.Two other top executives — chairman of the board Yu Liang and company secretary Zhu Xu — had left their positions “due to work adjustments” but would continue in other roles, according to the company.The Economic Observer article did not specify what offences Zhu may be alleged to have committed.It reported at the time that calls and messages to Zhu and people close to him had gone unanswered.Vanke did not respond to an AFP request for comment following the publication of the article.
Trump border czar defends school, church raids as agencies target Chicago
Donald Trump’s border czar on Sunday defended raiding churches and schools as part of a crackdown on illegal immigration, while six federal agencies launched a sweep aimed at “potentially dangerous criminal aliens” in Chicago. Trump began his second term last Monday with a flurry of executive actions aimed at overhauling US immigration.His administration quickly moved to ramp up deportations, including by relaxing rules governing enforcement actions at “sensitive” locations such as schools, churches and workplaces.Asked about the rule change, Tom Homan, who was tapped to oversee Trump’s hard-line immigration agenda, said Sunday it sends a clear message.”There’s consequences of entering the country illegally. If we don’t show there’s consequences, you’re never going to fix the border problem,” Homan, who is also the former head of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), told ABC News’s “This Week” program.But Trump has been unhappy with the number of arrests so far and has directed federal immigration officials to meet higher detention quotas, the Washington Post reported Sunday.It said he was ordering ICE to raise the arrest numbers from a few hundred a day to at least 1,200 to 1,500, citing people with knowledge of internal briefings.ICE later reported making 956 arrests on Sunday, the largest single-day number since Trump’s inauguration. There were no details on where the arrests were made.It had reported 593 arrests on Friday and 286 on Saturday. It averaged around 310 per day in the 2024 federal fiscal year, according to agency data.- ‘Enhanced targeted operations’ -Homan was speaking from Chicago, a Democratic stronghold and a “sanctuary city” for migrants that Homan has viewed as “ground zero” of the deportation push.ICE announced Sunday on X that it had joined five other federal agencies in “enhanced targeted operations” in Chicago “to enforce U.S. immigration law and preserve public safety and national security by keeping potentially dangerous criminal aliens out of our communities”.Joining ICE were the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Customs and Border Protection and the US Marshals Service.Fear of being swept up in the raids kept many Latinos in the region at home, the Chicago Tribune reported.Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, a Democrat, told CNN that state officials would assist federal law enforcement agencies in apprehending anyone accused or convicted of violent crimes but would defend “law-abiding” citizens. Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth, both Democrats representing Illinois, rebuked Trump’s deportation raids in a joint statement Sunday, saying the efforts “go far beyond” targeting “dangerous individuals” and risk indiscriminately detaining migrants.”We stand with the immigrant community in Chicago and across the country, and our offices and caseworkers are ready to help those who are improperly caught up in these raids,” the statement said.On Thursday, leaders of three Catholic organizations blasted the rule change that allows raids on churches and schools, saying in a joint statement that “turning places of care, healing and solace into places of fear and uncertainty… will not make our communities safer.”When pressed on the Catholic opposition, Homan stood firm.”We’re enforcing laws Congress enacted and the president signed. If they don’t like it, change the law.”Vice President JD Vance, who was also asked about the Catholic pushback in an interview broadcast Sunday, accused one group of being worried about losing funds in the immigration crackdown.”I think that the US Conference of Catholic Bishops needs to actually look in the mirror a little bit and recognize that when they receive over $100 million to help resettle illegal immigrants, are they worried about humanitarian concerns? Or are they actually worried about their bottom line?” he told CBS’s “Face the Nation.”All eyes during Trump’s first week in office have been on immigration enforcement and deportations, though it was unclear to what extent actions have increased from predecessor Joe Biden.Homan called on Congress to pass additional funding for dealing with those arrested.”We’re gonna need more ICE beds, a minimum of 100,000,” he told ABC News.”We’re going to try to be efficient. But with more money we have, the more we can accomplish.”
DR Congo’s Goma close to falling to militia, Rwanda troops: FranceMon, 27 Jan 2025 09:46:16 GMT
The besieged Congolese city of Goma was rocked by heavy artillery fire on Monday as France warned the regional capital was on the brink of falling to militia fighters and Rwandan troops.The M23 armed group and Rwandan soldiers entered Goma’s centre on Sunday night after weeks of advancing on the main city in DR Congo’s …
Sri Lanka ex-president’s son issued travel ban in corruption case
The son of Sri Lanka’s former president Mahinda Rajapaksa was banned Monday from leaving the island nation following his arrest for alleged money laundering.The case against Yoshitha Rajapaksa dates back years, but has received renewed impetus since President Anura Kumara Dissanayake — who has vowed to fight endemic corruption — won a landslide election victory.Several members of the powerful Rajapaksa family and close associates have been charged with an array of offences over the years, including corruption and even murder — all of which are still pending in the courts.A former junior naval officer, Yoshitha Rajapaksa, 36, was hit with the travel ban after police said he was unable to explain the sources of income used to purchase a home while his father was in power from 2005 to 2015.He was arrested and spent two days in detention before being released Monday by a magistrate in Colombo on a bond of 100 million rupees ($344,000).Yoshitha had told investigators that he raised money to buy the property by selling a small bag of gems his grand-aunt had given him. She was unable to recall how she acquired the precious stones when asked.He was arrested in 2016 on a separate money laundering charge related to his purchase of a television network. Both cases have sat dormant for years. His older brother Namal, a lawmaker in Sri Lanka’s parliament, also faces separate money laundering charges which have not yet gone to trial. Dissanayake came to power in September 2024 after pledging to expedite the pending criminal cases and bring back stolen assets allegedly stashed abroad.Cabinet spokesman Nalinda Jayatissa told reporters in Colombo over the weekend that the new government was providing more resources to the criminal investigations department to speed up prosecution.”This is not a political witch hunt, but people voted us in to ensure that these dragging cases are concluded,” Jayatissa said.Mahinda Rajapaksa’s younger brother Gotabaya became president in 2019 but was forced out of office in 2022 after a popular revolt, sparked by a ruinous economic crisis.Gotabaya Rajapaksa also faces corruption charges over military procurements when he was a top defence official during Mahinda’s presidency at the tail end of Sri Lanka’s civil war.
Auschwitz: Macron appelle “à ne rien céder face à l’antisémitisme” au nom de “l’universalisme de la France”
Emmanuel Macron a promis lundi que “nous ne céderons rien face à l’antisémitisme sous toutes ses formes” à l’occasion du 80e anniversaire de la libération du camp d’Auschwitz-Birkenau.”L’universalisme de la France se nourrit de ces combats et se retrouve aussi dans cet imprescriptible”, a écrit le chef de l’Etat sur le livre d’or du Mémorial de la Shoah qu’il visitait lundi matin.Ces commémorations sont “un des derniers moments où nous pourrons tous bénéficier de la présence, des témoignages, de rescapés de la Shoah”, a-t-on souligné dans l’entourage du président.Dans le cadre des commémorations de la libération du camp d’Auschwitz, le président et son épouse Brigitte Macron participeront lundi après-midi en Pologne à la cérémonie internationale organisée sur le site d’Auschwitz-Birkenau en présence d’autres dirigeants étrangers.Ils se rendront ensuite au pavillon français qui accueille depuis 1979 une exposition permanente de la France à Auschwitz, dédiée à la mémoire des victimes françaises déportées dans le camp. De son côté, le Premier ministre François Bayrou procédera lundi à 18H30 au ravivage de la flamme du soldat inconnu sous l’Arc de Triomphe à Paris en présence de représentants de l’Union des déportés d’Auschwitz.A Paris, la ministre de l’Education Elisabeth Borne, dont le père avait été déporté à Auschwitz, est attendue en fin de matinée au mémorial de la Shoah. La ministre chargée de la Lutte contre les discriminations, Aurore Bergé, inaugurera le jardin mémoriel de l’ancienne synagogue à Strasbourg avant d’échanger avec des collégiens sur la lutte contre le négationnisme et l’antisémitisme.Le président de la République a donné un relief important aux commémorations de la fin de la Seconde Guerre mondiale, notamment autour des débarquements alliés en Normandie et en Provence, ainsi que des différentes étapes de la Libération. Il sera encore le 2 février à Colmar, en Alsace, dernière ville libérée de l’occupation allemande en territoire français.Plusieurs rendez-vous d’envergure sont ensuite prévus pour commémorer le 8 mai 1945, date de la fin de la guerre avec la capitulation de l’Allemagne nazie.
Auschwitz: Macron appelle “à ne rien céder face à l’antisémitisme” au nom de “l’universalisme de la France”
Emmanuel Macron a promis lundi que “nous ne céderons rien face à l’antisémitisme sous toutes ses formes” à l’occasion du 80e anniversaire de la libération du camp d’Auschwitz-Birkenau.”L’universalisme de la France se nourrit de ces combats et se retrouve aussi dans cet imprescriptible”, a écrit le chef de l’Etat sur le livre d’or du Mémorial de la Shoah qu’il visitait lundi matin.Ces commémorations sont “un des derniers moments où nous pourrons tous bénéficier de la présence, des témoignages, de rescapés de la Shoah”, a-t-on souligné dans l’entourage du président.Dans le cadre des commémorations de la libération du camp d’Auschwitz, le président et son épouse Brigitte Macron participeront lundi après-midi en Pologne à la cérémonie internationale organisée sur le site d’Auschwitz-Birkenau en présence d’autres dirigeants étrangers.Ils se rendront ensuite au pavillon français qui accueille depuis 1979 une exposition permanente de la France à Auschwitz, dédiée à la mémoire des victimes françaises déportées dans le camp. De son côté, le Premier ministre François Bayrou procédera lundi à 18H30 au ravivage de la flamme du soldat inconnu sous l’Arc de Triomphe à Paris en présence de représentants de l’Union des déportés d’Auschwitz.A Paris, la ministre de l’Education Elisabeth Borne, dont le père avait été déporté à Auschwitz, est attendue en fin de matinée au mémorial de la Shoah. La ministre chargée de la Lutte contre les discriminations, Aurore Bergé, inaugurera le jardin mémoriel de l’ancienne synagogue à Strasbourg avant d’échanger avec des collégiens sur la lutte contre le négationnisme et l’antisémitisme.Le président de la République a donné un relief important aux commémorations de la fin de la Seconde Guerre mondiale, notamment autour des débarquements alliés en Normandie et en Provence, ainsi que des différentes étapes de la Libération. Il sera encore le 2 février à Colmar, en Alsace, dernière ville libérée de l’occupation allemande en territoire français.Plusieurs rendez-vous d’envergure sont ensuite prévus pour commémorer le 8 mai 1945, date de la fin de la guerre avec la capitulation de l’Allemagne nazie.
Indian state implements contentious common civil code
An Indian state announced Monday it had begun implementing a common civil code to replace religious laws, stoking fear among minority Muslims of a looming nationwide rollout by the Hindu-nationalist ruling party.Introduction of a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) to replace India’s patchwork of laws on marriage, divorce and inheritance has been a longstanding goal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).The northern state of Uttarakhand, taking in much of the Indian Himalayas, on Monday became just the second Indian state to implement such a law. Goa, the beach resort state on India’s west coast, is the only part of the country that already had a common civil code — introduced when it was still a Portuguese colony.Supporters say the UCC gives Muslim women the same rights as others by ending polygamy, setting equal property inheritance rights for sons and daughters, and requiring divorce processes take place before a civil court.It also makes it mandatory for couples to register live-in heterosexual relationships — or else face a three-month jail term or a fine.Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said in a press conference announcing the law’s enactment that the UCC would bring about “equality”.”This code is not against any sect or religion. Through this, a way has been found to get rid of evil practices in the society,” added Dhami.The BJP has long campaigned for a standardised civil code but that has fuelled tensions, especially among minority Muslims who say such a move would infringe on their religious freedoms.Critics see its introduction in Uttarakhand as part of signal from the BJP to its base and a promise to implement the UCC nationally.Other BJP-ruled states such as Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh have signalled plans to bring in their own civil codes.- ‘Attack on identity’ -Muslim leaders say the UCC challenges Islamic laws on divorce, marriage and inheritance.”This is an attack on our identity,” Asma Zehra, president of the All India Muslim Women Association, told AFP.This move would create “huge challenges” for Muslim women because it would lead to a conflict between state laws and those of their faith, she told AFP.”This law is totally biased against Muslims and is a manifestation of Islamophobia,” she added.Other clauses of the newly minted law also sparked objections, including the mandatory registration of partners living together.”It is absolutely contrary to the right to privacy and personal autonomy,” senior lawyer Geeta Luthra told AFP.The state should not enter into the realm of what citizens do consensually, Luthra added.The Uttarakhand assembly had passed the UCC bill in February last year.