Going Batty
Today is International Bat Appreciation Day, a celebration of an amazing, if often misunderstood, animal. Truth is, much of what we think we know about bats is false. First, they’re not really blind; some species have better vision than humans. Second, more than 99% of species feed on insects or fruit—only three out of the more than 1,200 species feed on blood. And far from being pests, they’re vital to the environment, plus they help rid the world of those dreaded blood-suckers, mosquitoes.
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News from Asia
The last week has seen a few big headlines out of Asia, including parliamentary elections in South Korea; a strategic meeting on the Indo-Pacific in Washington, D.C., one of the biggest trials in Vietnam’s history, and the capture of a Myanmar border town by Karen rebels. These events encapsulate the dynamic and often tumultuous nature of Asia’s evolving politics.
South Korea’s election
South Korea’s parliamentary elections concluded with a landslide victory for the country’s liberal Democratic Party. Widely perceived as a referendum on the leadership of current conservative Prime Minister Yoon Suk-Yeol, the results of the election reflect the South Korean public’s growing discontent with issues like a cost-of-living crisis, deepening political polarization, and a perceived disconnect between the government and the people.
U.S., allies tighten ranks in Indo-Pacific
In Washington, D.C., Pres. Joe Biden met with Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., to discuss strategies for containing Chinese intimidation of Philippine ships in the South China Sea. “United States defense commitments to Japan and the Philippines are ironclad,” Biden said.
Vietnam’s “trial of the century”
In an unprecedented case, Vietnamese real estate tycoon Truong My Lan was sentenced to death in Ho Chi Minh City for embezzling nearly $12 billion, almost 3% of Vietnam’s GDP. While death sentences in Vietnam are typically reserved for crimes such as terrorism or murder, the staggering scale of My Lan’s financial crimes led to the exceptional ruling as part of the Communist government’s ongoing crackdown on corruption.
Militia seizes Myanmar-Thai border town
The Karen National Union, a major ethnic armed organization in Myanmar, captured Myawaddy, a key town on the Myanmar-Thai border. This prompted a significant response from Thailand, including a border visit from the Thai foreign minister and tightened security measures. This event highlights the complexity of the conflict in Myanmar, its regional implications, and the increasing coordination of resistance forces against the military junta.
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