‘We’re afraid of dying’: Brazilian news site will not cover upcoming elections after threats
Four years ago, during Brazil’s last presidential election, the tyres were slashed on the pickup truck used for reporting by Tapajós de Fato, an independent journalism website in the Brazilian Amazon. Days later, a cat’s severed head was left next to the car park, alongside a note bearing the name of one of the site’s founders, Marcos Wesley Pedroso, and a warning that he would be next. Last July, security cameras outside Pedroso’s house showed cyclists circling the block, whistling and filming his car until, minutes later, another car crashed into it. “I believe they wanted me to come outside so they could ambush me,” said Pedroso. Police have not identified those responsible or established whether the cases are connected, but Pedroso sees them as part of a wider series of threats linked to Tapajós de Fato’s reporting on environmental and Indigenous rights violations, land disputes, and pesticide contamination in the Amazonian state of Pará. As a result, the site’s team decided not to cover this year’s elections – which will choose the next president, state governors, members of the lower house and part of the senate, with the first round on 4 October. “We’re afraid of dying and of putting our families’ safety at risk,” said Pedroso. He added that the site, whose name refers to the 1,238-mile-long (1,992km) Tapajós River, would remain online and continue covering environmental issues, but would avoid stories about the election. News of violence around election time is not uncommon: in 2022 a man was struck on the head with a piece of wood after saying he did not support the far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro’s re-election bid. Journalism and free-expression organisations in Brazil see Tapajós de Fato’s decision, first reported by a network of independent Amazonian media outlets, as a serious example of the consequences of attacks against journalists during the electoral period. “It reflects the different forms of attempted censorship and silencing that journalists have to face in Brazil,” said Letícia Kleim, legal coordinator at the Brazilian Association of Investigative Journalism. “Silencing the message by silencing the messenger affects not just their community, but democracy as a whole, which will no longer receive the valuable information they were providing by reporting on the Amazon from within the region.” Her association is part of a coalition that recorded 4,400 online attacks against journalists, media outlets and the press on X and Instagram between 30 August and 12 September alone, an increase of 67% compared with the previous two weeks. Because the election campaign was still under way, Kleim said it was not yet possible to know whether there had been more attacks than in the previous election, although she stressed that the context four years ago was particularly hostile because of the then president Bolsonaro, who routinely attacked the media and made threatening remarks to reporters such as: “I’d like to smash your mouth.” Kleim said: “His government made discrediting the press a priority at times; his family, supporters and politicians close to him embraced that agenda, and many continue with it.” Bolsonaro is now unable to run because he is under house arrest serving a sentence for attempting a coup after losing the 2022 election, but one of his sons, the far-right senator Flávio Bolsonaro, is in a technical tie in the polls with the incumbent, the leftist president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. “The possibility of Flávio being elected worries me enormously,” said Pedroso. He said reporting was even more dangerous four years ago, particularly in the Amazon – where Bolsonaro’s anti-environmental and anti-Indigenous policies led to soaring deforestation, a gold rush into Indigenous lands and increased criminal activity. In 2022, the British journalist Dom Phillips, who reported for the Guardian from Brazil, and the Brazilian Indigenous expert Bruno Pereira were ambushed and killed in the Amazon by men accused of links to a transnational criminal network exploiting an Indigenous territory. The Amazon-based NGO Comitê Chico Mendes, named after the environmentalist murdered in 1988, issued a statement deploring the threats against Tapajós de Fato: “We cannot normalise an Amazon where fear determines what can and cannot be reported.” Pedroso said that Tapajós de Fato had decided to make the threats public after years of reporting them to the authorities without any investigation producing results. “Deciding not to cover the elections was not easy,” he said. “With a great deal of humility and responsibility, I know the role we play in educating and informing many people in the communities around us, but there was no other way. In the end, those are the people who lose out.”
South Korea calls for apology from North Korea after mine injures three soldiers
South Korea has demanded an apology from North Korea over a landmine blast that injured three soldiers, saying they were hurt by North Korean mines on the southern side of the border. Kang Hyun-woo, the director of operations at South Korea’s joint chiefs of staff, demanded an apology and “responsible measures” from Pyongyang over the blast, which occurred on 21 September during a search operation south of the border. He also called for an immediate halt to North Korea’s mine-laying and border fortification, which he said violated the armistice and the spirit of inter-Korean agreements. North Korea would bear “all responsibility” for any future developments, he said. The incident echoes a 2015 mine blast in the demilitarised zone between the countries that seriously injured two South Korean soldiers and prompted Seoul to resume propaganda broadcasts over loudspeakers. North Korea responded to the move with artillery fire across the border before expressing regret during high-level talks. The US-led UN command (UNC), which oversees the 1953 armistice that halted but did not end the Korean war, said on Wednesday that a joint investigation with South Korea’s military had identified a live North Korean anti-personnel mine on the southern side of the military demarcation line (MDL), the de facto border. The UNC said an armistice violation had occurred and that it was addressing the issue through “established armistice mechanisms”. The explosions occurred about 10 metres south of the MDL on the western front, as troops searched an area where North Korea was suspected of laying mines. Two blasts went off about a minute apart, seriously injuring a battalion commander, whose foot was reportedly severed at the ankle, and an engineer. A third officer was present and has minor injuries from the explosion. On Monday, South Korea’s military said interim findings showed the blasts were “highly likely” to have been caused by North Korean mines North Korea has denied involvement. In a statement carried by state media on Wednesday, Kim Yo-jong, the sister of leader Kim Jong-un, called the incident “an obvious self-staged farce”. “Our soldiers have never once crossed the border,” she said, warning that if South Korean troops fired directly at North Korean soldiers, border units would carry out “immediate and merciless retaliation”. Chris Green, a senior consultant at the International Crisis Group, said the investigation findings would not settle the matter politically because the North would always have “guaranteed plausible deniability”. There are no working communication channels between the two Koreas. Pyongyang severed ties in 2024, declared South Korea a hostile state and has since laid mines and built fortifications along the border. “Accidental escalation on the Korean peninsula is always just a few steps away and it’s fewer steps now than it was in 2015,” Green said. The blast presents a challenge for South Korea’s president, Lee Jae Myung, who has sought to revive diplomacy with Pyongyang. Last week, he told the UN general assembly that Seoul would be a “pacemaker” for peace, and urged Washington to ease sanctions in exchange for a freeze on North Korea’s weapons programmes. The incident has also fuelled political tensions at home. Opposition politicians questioned whether the investigation had been delayed to avoid overshadowing Lee’s UN speech, a suggestion the presidential office denied. The conservative People Power party has also called for the return of the propaganda loudspeakers, which were switched off and dismantled under Lee last year. The mine blast adds to other diplomatic difficulties facing Lee. On Monday, Seoul demanded an apology from Ukraine after its president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, disclosed the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea. Seoul said the two sides had agreed to keep the transfer secret, citing the men’s safety and diplomatic and security considerations. Some critics said the secrecy was about not upsetting Pyongyang.
‘If people are in a bunker, business stops’: Missile alerts cost Ukraine $45m for every hour they halt businesses
Missile alerts are costing Ukraine an estimated $45m (£34m) for every hour they bring business to a halt, according to the country’s economy minister, as Kyiv searches for ways to keep the economy running under an intensifying Russian bombardment. Russia has increasingly targeted the infrastructure underpinning Ukraine’s economy, striking industrial sites, warehouses, logistics hubs and datacentres in what Oleksandr Kravchenko, the minister for economy and the environment, described as an effort to “destroy pretty much the entire economy”. “What we had not fully anticipated was how quickly Russia would develop these jet-powered drones and use them to target everything,” he said, referring to Russia’s use of the new weapons that have pounded Kyiv in recent weeks. Speaking from the heavily protected government building in Kyiv, Kravchenko, a former McKinsey executive who joined the government in the summer, said the attacks were forcing large parts of the economy into repeated standstills as workers were sent to shelters, with sirens lasting up to 10 hours a day. “If people are in a bunker, business stops,” he said. To ease the economic costs, the government recently introduced a new two-tier warning system designed to keep businesses operating during prolonged air raid alerts. A “red” alert warns of a missile threat and requires people to seek shelter, while a “yellow” warning is used for drone threats, allowing many businesses to remain open. More than half of businesses were continuing to operate during yellow alerts, Kravchenko said. But a yellow alert is no guarantee of safety. That danger was made clear on Monday, when a Russian jet-powered drone struck the National Academy of Sciences in central Kyiv during a yellow alert, killing two people while staff were still inside working. It is one of the difficult trade-offs Ukraine faces as it tries to keep normal life moving while protecting people from an escalating campaign of Russian strikes. Kravchenko said Russian attacks this year alone had caused an estimated $10bn in damage to fixed assets, with steel plants, warehouses, logistics infrastructure and, most recently datacentres, among the targets. Russia has also effectively blockaded Ukraine’s Black Sea ports, which before the blockade carried the bulk of the country’s exports. The minister believed the government was better prepared this year for what could be the “hardest, the harshest winter” of the war, with further pressure expected on energy supplies, infrastructure and businesses already weakened by months of strikes. To protect against future strikes, the government is now discussing ways to allow more private companies to purchase Ukraine’s air-defence system, the minister said, although he cautioned that businesses could never fully protect themselves from Russian missiles and drones. The ongoing damage from strikes has added to an already severe strain on the state’s finances. The president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has recently put Ukraine’s remaining budget shortfall this year at about $27bn, a figure that has prompted questions among some European governments over how the gap emerged, despite the EU having already agreed a €90bn loan package for Ukraine covering 2026 and 2027. Kravchenko said the government had since narrowed the shortfall to $20bn through spending cuts and by identifying additional domestic reserves. Kyiv was now seeking further support from the EU, Japan, Canada and the UK, including potentially bringing forward loans that had been earmarked for next year, Kravchenko said. “There is very active work with all our international partners to get additional sources of funding,” he said. Kravchenko dismissed suggestions that the shortfall was the result of mismanagement or corruption. He also said it was not due to excessive spending under former defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov, whose drive to overhaul military procurement and rapidly expand Ukraine’s drone programme had made him one of the government’s most prominent reformers before his dismissal in July, a move that triggered street protests. Instead, he said the gap reflected both weaker-than-expected state revenues and the rising cost of waging the war. “The cost of war is simply increasing,” he said, pointing to the need for more air-defence systems and for Ukraine to accelerate development of drones capable of intercepting Russia’s new jet-powered weapons. But high-profile corruption scandals have also reached Zelenskyy’s inner circle, straining trust in the government both at home and among western donors. A recent poll by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology found that corruption in government was the most cited concern among Ukrainians, named by 50% of respondents, ahead of mass missile and drone strikes at 40%. The same survey found that 72% believed Zelenskyy bore personal responsibility for corrupt actions by people around him. Kravchenko said progress had been made to tackle the issue but admitted that Ukraine faced both corruption itself and a persistent perception problem both inside Ukraine and abroad. “I very much appreciate the pressure of European partners on reforms,” he said, adding that Ukraine also needed to tackle perceptions of corruption at home and abroad. Ukraine’s external financing needs for 2027 are estimated at $52.6bn, but only about $20bn has so far been secured, according to the minister, with further tax rises and spending cuts under discussion. Asked whether the rise of parties sceptical of support for Ukraine in France and Germany could weaken western commitment to Kyiv, he said: “Am I worried? I think I should be, probably.” “The overall fatigue is increasing in Europe,” he added.
Wednesday briefing: Can Andy Burnham live up to the party’s faith in him?
Good morning from Liverpool (and hello again to the newsletter subscribers I met in person, as I took First Edition on tour to Labour party conference). It’s the first gathering of the party faithful since Andy Burnham ousted Keir Starmer in July, in what I’ve heard delicately referred to as a “soft coup”, and the theme of this conference is “Hope again.” Yesterday, in an engaging and emotional speech that staked out bold positions on some of the most intractable issues of the day – social care, NEETs, electoral reform, the EU – Burnham added substance to the slogan that graces the banners hanging from the lofty ceilings of the exhibition hall. You can read our politics team’s key takeaways here. Meanwhile, on the conference fringe yesterday evening, the debate continued between energised activists and “policy grownups” warning of dire fiscal headwinds. Today I’m passing on what I saw and heard during my 48 hours with the lanyard class – but first, the headlines. Five big stories UK news | One of the five men arrested near RAF Fairford as part of a terror investigation that prompted fears of an Iran-backed plot called the police to report the incident. The call from the man, in his 20s and from London, was one reason armed police were scrambled to arrest the men. Football | The Premier League has confirmed Manchester City have been found guilty of all charges of breaching its financial rules over a nine-year period, with the club found to have boosted their income by a staggering amount of more than £900m. France | More than 400 people, most of them children, have been detained in France on Tuesday after teenagers across the country blockaded their schools in protest at class sizes, teacher shortages and long timetables. US politics | The Trump administration can resume quickly deporting immigrants to a “third countries”, or countries other than those immigrants’ homeland, without giving them any opportunity to contest their removals, the supreme court ruled on Tuesday. UK news | A six-month trial of live facial recognition technology in London’s railway stations cost more than £320,000 and led to one false match against a watchlist of suspects and no arrests. In depth: ‘He has a natural instinct for connection’ As I wandered past the merchandise stall at conference, I noticed the Burnham-branded mugs had sold out within hours, with one lonely ‘hope again’ tote remaining. “It’s good isn’t it?” said the salesperson giddily. Her combination of relief and excitement marked most of my encounters with activists, campaigners and politicians around the exhibition stalls and fringe events during my two days in Liverpool. Things are undoubtedly looking up since last year. Local members have a spring in their step; cabinet ministers are smiling; and party activists have a new message to offer on the doorstep. Everyone tells me this is all about Andy: “His empathy cuts through,” says one Scottish politician, “He has a natural instinct for connection,” says a campaigner from Manchester, “People on the doors love him!” exclaims a branch organiser from Loughborough. But if you’ve never been to a party conference like this, how can I best describe it? First of all, it’s huge. Merseyside police said they were anticipating 20,000 delegates and visitors to the city over four days. And let’s not be coy: inside the secure zone, where people pay to attend, it’s pretty corporate. There are plenty of middle-aged white guys in expensive suits, ranging across a disappointingly narrow colour spectrum. Business professionals, thinktanks, and members of the podcast industrial complex all stride around purposefully. It’s a vortex of networking and not everyone can afford to join in: even with a cheaper members’ pass, if you include train fare and accommodation you won’t get change from a grand – which excludes a lot of the grassroots groups and smaller charities practising exactly the kind of community power that Burnham preaches. “How do I explain this to people back in Sheffield?” asks one community organiser. “It’s a bubble.” *** The party members If you don’t trust my exhibition hall chats on the mood around Burnham, get a load of these stats: according to the latest polling for LabourList, 92% of members surveyed in recent weeks believe Burnham is governing well, while 80% believe the party is heading in the right direction – compared with 48% under Starmer last summer. It’s the same Burnham bounce that Labour is enjoying in polls across the country. Just as the party talks of the public “giving us another hearing”, Burnham, it seems, is succeeding in making members from every tribe, faction and level of the party feel heard. Already there’s a sense of what action under Burnham might look like. Campaigners talk about a new openness around No 10, and a sense that he recognises the easy wins, a break from the party’s previous sclerosis. But as LabourList editor Emma Burnell cautioned at the fringe event launching the polling data: “it’s a double-edged sword because it does come with expectation and a more precipitous drop.” More granular data shows members’ focus is now all on delivery and the level of nervous anticipation can’t be overestimated. As one respondent fretted: “Is this just Starmer with better comms?” This wariness around whether Burnham is more “good vibes” than workable policy is understandable, but I detect some snootiness too – that believers might just be too dense or naive to appreciate the economic context. Regardless, good vibes are what gets activists out leafleting on a rainy Saturday morning. *** The protesters Burnham has caught some criticism this conference, with plenty of people with something to say outside the secure zone. Amira Campbell, an activist with Green New Deal Rising, was outside the conference centre early on Sunday morning with 50 jobless young people, arguing that the current employment crisis that’s affecting one in eight of our 16- 24-year-olds can be helped along by green jobs creation. At 24, Campbell says the current Labour leader is “definitely the most progressive” she’s known, though – when we meet just after chancellor John Healey’s speech – she questions whether his framing of reforming welfare benefits to incentivise employment grasps the complexity. “Young people have record levels of anxiety and depression and instead of accepting life has got a lot harder, we’re often dismissed as snowflakes. But we know poor mental health correlates with poverty.” She expresses a niggling suspicion that Burnham may be less interested in younger voters than in the good opinion of their parents “because what matters to young people is not high on agenda”. Take the looming decision on drilling in the North Sea, which my Guardian environment colleagues believe is being held until after the Holborn and St Pancras byelection, which Labour is defending against Green leader Zack Polanski. There’s also the question of the continued proscription of Palestine Action. There were 82 terrorism arrests outside the conference hall this weekend, for supporters holding the now infamous “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action” signs – including Massive Attack’s Robert Del Naja, who last shared a stage with Burnham for World Environment Day in June. After Ed Miliband told delegates “you were right” on Gaza, campaigners say these arrests call into question Labour’s “Palestine reset”. Yesterday morning, Miliband admitted it was never anyone’s intent to criminalise “elderly people, vicars and grannies” – a phenomenon I reported on in this previous First Edition – while adding vaguely that it’s something the government will “keep looking at”. *** The speech Back in the conference hall on Tuesday, Burnham’s address felt like the speech the party had been waiting for. After the victory doldrums, then ugly infighting of the past two conferences under Starmer, this was the catharsis Labour needed. The ideas were substantial – like the “21st-century deal for pensioners”, ditching the triple lock to fund a national care service – but easy to explain to voters. He told delegates that hope requires honesty – and then led by example. Burnham admitted he’d “love to go quicker” on measures to ease the cost of living, “but we have to be honest about what our country can afford”; he set out positions on pensions and Europe that he knows will attract angry opposition; and then he he showed genuine emotion, choking up about his father, Roy, who died only two weeks ago. Delegates urged him on to carry on speaking. All Together Now, as his exit song goes. At a post-speech analysis event yesterday evening, Luke Tryl of research agency More in Common said the speech had hit home on every metric. Since Labour was elected in 2024, the public’s appetite for radical change has grown. Burnham was “very control focused”, at a moment when people believe the social contract is broken and that successive governments have lost control of issues like migration and welfare. And he focused on a clear break with Starmer. Tom Baldwin, Starmer’s biographer, was also on the panel: he observed that Burnham had included familiar policies which the government was already working on, but he succeeded in “telling a bigger story” about them than his predecessor. One risk, Baldwin suggested, was that – by outlining the care service, Europe and electoral reform as key issues for the next election campaign – Burnham leaves a gap. Voters will want immediate action on living standards, and yet, with the government constrained by factors well beyond their control – like the global bond sell-off driving up the cost of government borrowing, international conflicts curtailing growth, and another energy price shock – that might be hard to delilver. Whatever the challenges for next month’s budget, Burnham is on top for now. He returns successfully from conference, with a largely jubilant membership and a list of policy proposals that they are properly excited about. He’s offered the hope, now we’ll see what the public makes of his honesty. What else we’ve been enjoying Iconic 20th century Japanese buildings are being torn down at scale, and this gorgeous photo story documents just some of the country’s now-demolished lost architectural gems. Michael Patricia Nilsson has investigated who is behind the pornification of the internet, and says there was a time when the men who owned the biggest pornography businesses were happy to be famous – “These days, the men calling the shots are nowhere to be seen,” she says. Poppy I always aim to inject new dishes into my repertoire, and there’s plenty of #ontrend inspo in this list of autumnal food trends. Angostura chips I’m here for … might pass on the pickled gummy bear. Michael Johnathan Liew’s column, on how the Manchester City case goes deeper than one club, one league – or even one sport is a riveting read. On the face of it being “found guilty of more than 100 charges of financial irregularity may feel like so much so-what …” he says, But in reality, “it is a parable of power.” Poppy The film-makers of NAZA – a documentary exposing the technological mechanics behind Israel’s mass-killings in Gaza – speak with unwavering eloquence in this week’s episode of the Stateside podcast. Michael Sport Football | England needed second-half goals by Anthony Gordon and Harry Kane to defeat Czechia 2-0, while Scotland’s new boss, Sebastien Pocognoli, expressed “frustration” that an early red card for Jack Hendry left his side a man down in their 3-0 loss to Switzerland. Snooker | The former snooker world champion Graeme Dott has been jailed for seven years at the high court in Edinburgh after being convicted of sexually abusing two young children. Football | Ella Toone and Chloe Kelly have been dropped from England’s squad because of their performance levels by Sarina Wiegman, who has given a first call-up to the 20-year-old Chelsea midfielder Lexi Potter. The front pages Andy Burnham’s conference speech dominates the front pages on Wednesday. The Guardian leads with “‘Today we draw a line on a decade of division’”. The Financial Times says “Burnham sets out his vision taking in Europe, social care and voting reform”. The i has “Burnham gambles on scrapping UK state pension triple lock – and voting system”. The Telegraph has “Triple lock scrapped by 2030”, while the Mail calls it “Burnham’s triple shock”. The Times says “Tearful Burnham stakes future on free care for all”. The Sun labels it “Locky horror show”, while the Mirror has “I will build a Britain my dad would be proud of”. Today in Focus: The Latest Diesel export ban: will Trump push global energy prices even higher? As the fallout from the Iran conflict continues, the price of diesel has soared to record highs in the UK, Europe and US. With his country facing an increase of 70% in costs compared with this time last year, Donald Trump is threatening a ban on US diesel exports to keep costs low for American consumers. But the plans have been met with alarm – the UK is holding talks with US counterparts to try to block the move, which France says would be ‘catastrophic’ if introduced. Lucy Hough speaks to energy correspondent Jillian Ambrose. Cartoon of the day | Ella Baron The Upside A bit of good news to remind you that the world’s not all bad Footballer Sam Gough has a remarkable sporting career: from being taken out of PE lessons as her vision deteriorated, to becoming captain of the England women’s blind football team, and one of the global game’s best strikers. Ahead of the 2026 IBSA Women’s European Championship kicking off in Istanbul on Saturday, the 23-year-old reflects on her achievements on and off the pitch, and what it takes to master a version of the beautiful game that involves eye masks, metal-plated balls and shouts of ‘VOY’ before every tackle. Sign up here for a weekly roundup of The Upside, sent to you every Sunday Bored at work? And finally, the Guardian’s puzzles are here to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow. Quick crossword Cryptic crossword Wordiply
Inside the Ukrainian military unit training fighters from China
On the makeshift workbench in the cramped front room of a cottage near the frontlines of the Russia-Ukraine war, there are all the accoutrements of a drone workshop. The walls are lined with pliers and rolls of duct tape; the table is cluttered with screwdrivers and piles of wire. Propped up against the wall are two kamikaze drones. Only one item looks out of place in this Ukrainian village house: a pot of Chinese longjing tea, the leaves wilted from repeated top-ups. Good tea is one of the many things that Tim misses about his life in China. His parents post monthly supplies to Ukraine. “I think about all of it,” the 44-year-old said, of his home country. “It brings back memories and emotions.” Tim, who asked to be referred to by his English name, is the lead volunteer in a Ukrainian military unit that this year launched an unusual project: to recruit soldiers from the country seen as Russia’s biggest backer, China. Many Ukrainian military units have their own brands and public presences as they compete with each other for funding and new recruits. But in this case, the commander of the unit, which focuses on reconnaissance, asked that its identity be withheld because of the sensitivity of the Chinese volunteers project. “It’s for their sake first and foremost,” said the commander, known by the call sign Muse. “For their own safety and that of their families.” Muse said five Chinese men who had joined his unit had returned to China after completing their training because of pressure from the Chinese authorities. “We’d put our heart and soul into them,” he lamented. He is fearful that more Chinese soldiers – there are about a dozen so far in the unit – could quit if their identity is revealed. He asked that none of his soldiers’ faces be shown in photographs. Ukraine’s military is facing an acute manpower shortage. Most of those willing to volunteer to fight have done so, and are fatigued, while some civilian men have gone into hiding to avoid being mobilised. That has turned attention to another pool of potential recruits: foreigners. Memorial to Peng Chenliang, a Chinese soldier killed in action, fighting for Ukraine Part of the memorial for fallen soldiers, dedicated to Chinese volunteers There are about 16,000 foreign fighters in Ukraine, making up less than 3% of the armed forces. Before being sacked as defence minister in July, Mykhailo Fedorov passed several reforms designed to make foreign recruitment easier. He predicted that 50% of frontline service members or assault troops could be foreign citizens. But Chinese volunteers present a unique challenge. On the one hand, they are uniquely vulnerable to pressure from their own government. The Chinese authorities keep close tabs on their citizens. Chinese law does not specifically forbid citizens from joining foreign armies, but several Chinese volunteers in Ukraine said security services had questioned them or their relatives about their work. A spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry said it had issued multiple security alerts “to ask Chinese nationals to stay away from areas of armed conflict … and, in particular, avoid participation in any party’s military operations”. On the other hand, the Chinese soldiers hail from a country that has provided overwhelming support for Russia during the war in Ukraine. Although China claims to be neutral, Beijing has increased trade links with Moscow to record levels since 2022 and provided diplomatic support on numerous occasions. There have also been reports, denied by China, of high-level military cooperation between the two countries. Roads covered with anti-drone nets in Sumy region Some people worry that the Chinese soldiers in Ukraine could provide useful military intelligence to Beijing. An officer from another brigade said he would “think twice” before taking someone from China. Muse, however, is unbothered. “In this situation, for us commanders, for the Ukrainian people, anyone will do. Because there aren’t enough people,” he said. Tim, one of the Chinese volunteers, at his drone workshop Plus, he added, the Chinese work hard. Tim’s main job in the unit is repairing drones. In one week he repaired about 10 Mavics and 15 first-person view (FPV) drones. Impressed, Muse joked that “it is better to have one Chinese person than 10 Ukrainians”. Chinese volunteers find their way to Muse’s unit through social media and word of mouth. Although there are cursory background checks done by central authorities in Kyiv, Muse entrusts Tim to do the main screening, through a series of interviews. Tim said the main qualities he looked for were a commitment to Ukraine’s democracy and sovereignty and an ability to communicate well. He added: “I am firmly against accepting someone who is driven simply by hatred for his own country.” He said he had already rejected more than 30 Chinese applicants since joining the unit himself in January, and that he attempted to screen out people with criminal records as well. But in the murky world of foreign fighters, where people come with stories and claims that are often impossible to verify, dissatisfaction with one’s own country is often a factor. Vanya, one of Chinese volunteer soldiers Vanya, a 36-year-old from central China’s Hubei province, joined the unit over the summer. Sitting under a trellis of grapevines outside a cottage near the frontlines, stalked by Russian FPV drones, he said life in China had become “suffocating”. Using a VPN to jump over China’s firewall of internet censorship, he had read about the war in Ukraine, and become familiar with “ideas about democracy and freedom”. That awakening coincided with China’s own economic downturn. His own income, working in home renovations, fell by as much as 50% in some months. He had long been interested in the military, but was too old to enlist in China. The decision to come to Ukraine “didn’t come out of the blue”, Vanya said. “It was the result of a lot of things building up over time: my weariness of my previous life, my longing for democracy and freedom, as well as my views on Ukraine.” Nero, one of the Chinese volunteer soldiers Other members of the unit claim a more fervent ideology. Nero, a 37-year-old from Fujian province, spent years posting online in support of Ukraine, becoming a well-known influencer. Several of his accounts were deleted; Nero thinks this was in response to his pro-Ukraine views. He said the blowback he got from suspected Russian spam accounts for his support for Ukraine propelled him towards volunteering. “I thought: the world shouldn’t be like this. Why should I suffer or go through all this just for speaking the truth?” His move, which he publicised on social media, led to more harassment. As he arrived in Ukraine, a Russian-language “wanted” poster, which included his real name, date of birth, and picture, appeared online. The poster, which appeared to be faked, accused him of “participating in an armed conflict as a mercenary” and “illegally crossing the state border of the Russian federation”. Nero suspected it was produced by a Chinese propaganda agency working on behalf of Russia, and denied making it himself, saying that revealing his identity endangered him. Until recently a project manager earning a decent salary in China, Nero is now training to be an FPV drone pilot. “I want people to know that not all Chinese people support Russia’s aggression. Many Chinese people, like me, are kind and want to help Ukraine,” Nero said. L to R: Vasco, Nero, Jinmu, Chinese volunteer soldiers All of the volunteers agreed that scrutiny from the Chinese authorities would make it difficult to return home. “If I go back now, it would be hard to leave again,” said Jinmu, a welder by trade, now working as an electrical engineer, specialising in explosives and batteries. Whatever contribution they may ultimately make towards peace, or to war, as Chinese nationals their decision is likely to have consequences that last beyond the conflict that they are now a part of. On 23 September, one of their Chinese comrades in the unit was killed in a Russian attack. Upon hearing the news, one volunteer, a doctor, decided to leave. The rest, said Nero, insisted on staying. Additional research by Illia Dyadik, Yu-chen Li and Artem Mazhulin
Tokyo succumbs to ‘rain fatigue’ after a record 35 consecutive days of showers
Residents of Tokyo awoke to a familiar sound on Wednesday: raindrops splashing against windows and balcony floors. The Japanese capital has seen a record 35 consecutive days of rain that experts blame on a combination of climate change and El Niño, which has created a prolonged front of high pressure in the Pacific Ocean. The record rainfall has triggered a sharp rise in the price of vegetables, cast a shadow over tourism and left millions of Tokyoites wondering if they will see sunshine again. Central Tokyo has been drenched by 629mm (24.8 inches) of rain between the start of September through to Monday this week, nearly three times the normal level, according to the agency. It experienced just 45.8 hours of daylight over the same period, the second lowest on record, the Mainichi Shimbun said, while 14 days had no sunshine at all. The weather is affecting people’s physical and mental health, according to Hiromichi Ito, a doctor and director of a clinic in the capital, who told the Sankei Shimbun newspaper that prolonged rain, low atmospheric pressure and high humidity can lead to headaches, dizziness and other symptoms. While the rain had turned to a light drizzle by late Wednesday morning, more could be on the way, as this year’s El Niño warms the Pacific Ocean, intensifying extreme weather patterns triggered by the climate crisis. “Autumn rain fronts are staying longer than usual,” Masayuki Kyoda, an official at the Japan meteorological agency (JMA), told Agence France-Presse. Tokyo’s rainy season usually occurs in June, but there have been regular downpours throughout the summer, causing heavy flooding in parts of the region. Earlier this month, Typhoon Dujuan caused flooding and landslides in neighbouring Chiba prefecture, killing eight people and destroying dozens of homes. This week, meteorological officials said another typhoon, the 26th of the season, was moving in a north-easterly direction and could brush the Kanto region, where Tokyo is located. While Kyoda said it was difficult to establish a direct link between climate change and the streak of wet weather in Tokyo – the longest since records began in 1886 – the agency said in a recent report that “global warming was affecting Japan’s weather long-term, including through more precipitation”. The previous longest period of consecutive rain in Tokyo lasted 33 days between 27 June and 29 July 2019. The prolonged rainfall has triggered a rise in the price of vegetables, particularly leafy greens, as a result of crop damage in agricultural regions near Tokyo, media reports said, with one supermarket worker in the capital quoted as saying that price of a head of lettuce had more than doubled to ¥450 (£2.17). Residents also complained of not being able to dry their washing, forcing them to make trips to the local launderette. The news that the city has not enjoyed a single dry day since 27 August prompted many take to social media to complain of “rain fatigue”. “This endless rain must be to blame for my low mood,” said one X user. “If you’re feeling worn out, it’s not your fault.” Yojiro Noda, the lead singer of the band Radwimps, posted to his 1.1 million followers: “Tokyo, a lifetime of rain.” Another wondered if the city would match the 40 days and 40 nights of rain referenced in the Old Testament.
Economic growth and democratic decline: the ‘cotton king’ who reshaped Benin
In recent years, a building boom has reshaped Benin’s largest city, Cotonou, and a shiny new coastal road has reduced journey times to Ouidah, the west African country’s spiritual and cultural capital. In the last decade, Benin’s annual GDP has grown from 3% to 6%, a regional high, and an industrial zone has been launched north-west of Cotonou to help industrialise the relatively small nation’s largely informal economy. “Benin is now looking like a paradise,” said Savossou Stanislas, a 40-year-old tyre repairer in the official capital, Porto-Novo. The rapid infrastructural development has been overseen by Patrice Talon, the president from 2016 till this May. For years, Benin was so content being in the shadow of Nigeria, a neighbour about eight times its size and with about 16 times its population, that Talon’s predecessor, Thomas Boni Yayi, once quipped during a visit to Abuja that “Benin is the 37th state of Nigeria”. Talon, who also enjoys good relations with Nigeria and called on it to help quell an attempted coup d’etat in December, chose a different path: to engineer enough growth for Benin to be recognised in its own right. The Kagame model Widely believed to be Benin’s richest person, Talon, known as “the cotton king”, made his name in agriculture but diversified into banking and hospitality. Before becoming president, he had financed the campaigns of Yayi and Yayi’s predecessor, Mathieu Kérékou. Critics say his development agenda has come at a severe cost: once held up as a poster child for democratic transition in west Africa, Benin has also undergone democratic decline since Talon took power. In many respects, Talon modelled his governance style on the leader of another relatively small African country: Paul Kagame. The archetypal “benevolent strongman”, Rwanda’s de facto leader since 1994 has also combined repression with policies aimed at economic and social transformation. In time, the two men became allies and Talon even appointed two former Rwandan officials to head sensitive Beninese government agencies. Benin has also sought the east African nation’s help in countering a growing insurgency along the border with Nigeria. By the end of Talon’s first term, strict new election laws and heavy registration fees had purged a lot of the opposition from parliament. In 2019, the government shut down the internet during a parliamentary election as people protested against the changes. The judiciary was co-opted to muzzle dissent, resulting in the targeting of several dozen former allies and dissidents, including the opposition leader Reckya Madougou, who is in prison on charges of “undermining the state”, and the journalist Hugues Comlan Sossoukpé. In April 2021, a month after Madougou’s arrest, Essowé Batamoussi, a judge at the court for the repression of economic offences and terrorism, resigned his post and fled to France to seek asylum. “There was no justice in her [Madougou’s] case,” Batamoussi said. “We received an empty file and a threat: if we did not put her in jail, we were in danger.” Last November, it became apparent how deeply Talon had control of every major aspect of life in Benin. A controversial constitutional amendment, the second of his tenure, elongated the presidential term from five years to seven and introduced thresholds that kept opposition parties outside parliament. It also created a new senate, whose members are all appointed by government rather than elected. Within a month of parliament approving the amendment, mutineers led by a former commander of the national guard attempted a coup, citing Talon’s authoritarianism and inability to tackle rising insecurity. Only one opposition candidate was approved to stand in April’s presidential election, which was won by Talon’s hand-picked successor, Romuald Wadagni, with more than 94% of the vote. In August, Talon himself returned to centre stage as president of the senate. Morgan Assogba, a Cotonou-based geopolitical analyst, described Talon as a “gigantic political actor with a good understanding of how politics works in Benin”, who had reshaped the political arena to suit his economic development drive. For Guillaume Moumouni, a professor of political science and international relations at the University of Abomey-Calavi, Talon’s dual policies of constitutional change and development constituted a “carrot and stick” approach to governing, aimed at ensuring the political environment did not jeopardise his economic objectives. In time, however, he added, there was “less carrot and more stick” as freedoms were increasingly suppressed. What price progress? During his campaign for the April election, Wadagni vowed to tackle extreme poverty, a tacit admission that economic growth had not been to the benefit of all Beninese. The minimum monthly wage increased from 40,000 CFA francs to 52,000 CFA francs (£52-£68) in January 2023, but many still earn far less. In recent years, rent and electricity tariffs have also risen by at least 15%, while the price of fuel has almost doubled. “With the upcoming school term, we don’t know how we’ll manage,” said Stanislas, the tyre repairer, who has four children of school age. Most of the development has been in Cotonou and Ouidah, Talon’s home town. Opposition figures have said there has been a lack of transparency in some of those projects, while civil society groups said some were awarded to entities linked to Talon’s political allies and business network. According to a 2023 report by Amnesty International, four development projects resulted in mass forced evictions that affected at least 6,000 people. The communication ministry was approached for comment. Moumouni said economically Talon’s vision had brought net progress. “People are not gaining or enjoying much more in terms of cash, but they are enjoying [progress] in terms of social infrastructure,” he said. “There’s room for improvement for sure but compared to 10 or 15 years ago, there is quite a huge difference.” Eugène Azatassou, the vice-president of the opposition Democrats party, feels differently. “Development cannot be limited to roads and buildings,” he said. “It must also be measured by the quality of democracy, purchasing power, employment, security, improvement of living conditions … when a power continuously modifies political and electoral rules in order to conserve control of institutions, we have the right to ask ourselves if we are facing [only] a facade of development.”