Manila, Court rejects appeal of Nobel Prize winner Maria Ressa

Today's headlines: Indonesian officials warn Jemaah Islamiyah has evolved in aftermath of Bali bombings; two Australians arrested in Sri Lanka accused of paying bribes; hike in child labour in Afghanistan, China is unwilling to abandon its zero covid policy, Ukrainians denounce Russian looting of their museums.

PHILIPPINES

The Philippine Court of Appeals dismissed the appeal of journalist Maria Ressa and researcher Reynaldo Santos on an online defamation charge that will now go to the Supreme Court. Ressa, who won the Nobel Peace Prize last year, said that 'the ongoing campaign of harassment and intimidation against Rappler and me continues and the Philippine legal system is not doing enough to stop it'. 

INDONESIA

Twenty years after the Bali bombings, members of the Jemaah Islamiyah - the terrorist organisation that carried out the massacre - "have quietly infiltrated public institutions, recruiting members, raising funds and spreading their ideology in secret", said the director of the National Counter Terrorism Agency (BNPT), Ahmad Nurwakhid, emphasising that the group has not disappeared but has adapted to new times.

AUSTRALIA - SRI LANKA

Two Australian men were arrested for paying bribes to Sri Lankan officials between 2009 and 2016. The two had secured million worth of infrastructure construction contracts for the Snowy Mountains Engineering Corporation. The World Bank had already discovered 'inappropriate payments' by the company in 2017.

AFGHANISTAN

A Taliban official confirmed the hike in child labour in Kunduz and Takhar provinces as well as the increase in street children over the past year, although there are no precise statistics on their numbers. The minors interviewed stated that they are responsible for the economic support of their families.

CHINA

Shanghai, a city of 25 million people, recorded 28 new cases of covid-19 yesterday. Chinese authorities stepped up testing and extended quarantine days in several locations. Nationwide, there were more than 2,000 new infections, the highest figure since 20 August.

RUSSIA - HONG KONG

US officials fear Hong Kong could become a haven for Russian companies under sanctions after the invasion of Ukraine. State-owned companies have also made contact with some law firms in the city in search of a "friendlier jurisdiction" than New York or London

UKRAINE

The Minister of Culture of Ukraine, Oleksandr Tkachenko, denounced the looting by the Russians of more than 40 Ukrainian museums, causing hundreds of millions of Euros in damage, calling it a 'war crime'. A 5th century diadem of Attila the Hun in the museum of Melitopol was also stolen, along with 200 Scythian gold objects from over 2400 years ago.

TAJIKISTAN

The OSCE Representative for Media Affairs Teresa Ribeiro expressed concern at the end of her visit to Tajikistan about restrictions on freedom of expression, calling on the authorities in Dushanbe to release arrested and detained journalists, during her meeting with Deputy Minister of Culture Davlat Safarzoda.

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