- Netanyahu says Israel doesn’t ‘seek to occupy’ Gaza The Hill
- ICRC: ‘We wish that we could force our way’ in to free hostages, but ‘we need permission’ from Hamas MSNBC
- Netanyahu tells Bret Baier cease-fire ‘means surrender,’ insists squad member is calling for ‘genocide’ Fox News
- Netanyahu says not seeking to ‘occupy’ Gaza but ‘demilitarise’ it Al Jazeera English
- “Don’t Seek To Govern Gaza, But…”: Netanyahu As Israel Intensifies Assault NDTV
- View Full Coverage on Google News
Tag Archives: occupy
In China, home buyers occupy their ‘rotting’, unfinished properties
By Eduardo Baptista and Xiaoyu Yin
GUILIN, China (Reuters) – For six months, home for Ms. Xu has been a room in a high-rise apartment in the southern Chinese city of Guilin that she bought three years ago, attracted by brochures touting its riverfront views and the city’s clean air.
Her living conditions, however, are far from those promised: unpainted walls, holes where electric sockets should be and no gas or running water. Every day she climbs up and down several flights of stairs carrying heavy water bottles filled with a hose outside.
“All the family’s savings were invested in this house,” Xu, 55, told Reuters from the Xiulan County Mansion complex, her room bare except for a mosquito net-covered bed, a few necessities and empty bottles on the floor. She declined to give her full name, citing the sensitivity of the matter.
Xu and about 20 other buyers living in Xiulan County Mansion share a makeshift outdoor toilet and gather during the day at a table and benches in the central courtyard area.
They are part of a movement of home buyers around China who have moved into what they call “rotting” apartments, either to pressure developers and authorities to complete them or out of financial necessity, as numerous cash-strapped builders halt construction amid the country’s deep real estate slump.
Shanghai E-House Real Estate Research Institute estimated in July that stalled projects accounted for 3.85% of China’s housing market in the first half of 2022, equivalent to an area of 231 million square metres.
While some local governments have taken steps to prop up the property market by setting up bailout funds, buyers like Xu, who paid deposits in advance and are on the hook for mortgages, remain in limbo.
MORTGAGE STRIKES
The proliferation of unfinished apartments has sparked unprecedented collective disobedience, fuelled by social media: in late June, thousands of home buyers in at least 100 cities threatened to halt mortgage payments to protest stalled construction.
The overall property market is highly sensitive to cases of unfinished apartments because 90% of new houses bought in China are purchased “off plans” while still under construction, said Yan Yuejin, research director at Shanghai E-House.
“If this issue is not resolved, it will affect property transactions, the government’s credibility, and it could exacerbate the developers’ debt problems,” he said.
China’s deep property slump, along with disruptions caused by strict anti-COVID measures, are dragging on the world’s second largest economy just as the ruling Communist Party gears up for its once-in-five-years Congress next month.
‘CRASHING FROM PARADISE’
Xu bought her two-bedroom, 70 square metre flat in early 2019, about a year after its developer, Jiadengbao Real Estate, started construction and began marketing apartments for around 6,000 yuan ($851) per square metre, which they said would come with facilities such as floor heating and a shared swimming pool.
Work progressed quickly at first, with blocks in the planned 34 tower complex going up one after another.
But in June 2020, Jiadengbao Real Estate hit the headlines after a court accused its parent company of illegal fund-raising and seized 340 million yuan worth of its properties, including a number of flats in Xiulan County Mansion.
Construction stopped in mid-2020, which Xu found out months later, describing her feelings at the time as “crashing from paradise”.
Jiadengbao Real Estate did not respond to a request for comment from Reuters.
Since the debt crisis erupted in 2021, thousands more home buyers have been caught in similar predicaments as cash-strapped developers went into bankruptcy or abandoned struggling projects.
FENCING AND UNDERGROWTH
On a recent day, the main block of buildings at Xiulan County Mansion was surrounded by a tall blue fence while the clubhouse, touted in promotional materials, was covered in a dense undergrowth. Cement mixers, iron poles, and piles of debris lay strewn around.
Xu, who is unemployed, said she bought the apartment for her only son, with the hope that he would be able to raise a family there. She said her son and her husband, who live far away in the northern province of Hebei, blame her for their financial predicament, and no longer speak to her.
“We don’t know how long we will have to live here because the government has not said anything officially,” she said.
She hopes the Guilin government will step in to help.
The city government did not respond to a request for comment from Reuters.
Housing authorities in Baoding, the northern city where Xu is from and where Jiadengbao Real Estate’s parent company is registered, said last November the city government and Communist Party committee had set up a group to resolve the issue.
“If the government really wants to protect people’s livelihoods, and resume construction, we will go back home,” Xu said.
($1 = 7.0508 Chinese yuan renminbi)
(This story corrects name of expert in paragraph 9 to Yuejin)
(Reporting by Eduardo Baptista and Xiaoyu Yin; Additional reporting by Beijing newsroom and Xihao Jiang; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)
Ukrainian nuclear power plant attack condemned as Russian troops ‘occupy’ facility
Countries around the world swiftly condemned the episode, with the United States embassy in Ukraine warning an attack on a nuclear plant was a “war crime” and the United Nations Security Council convening an emergency meeting.
In a statement Friday morning local time, the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate (SNRI) confirmed the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southeastern Ukraine was occupied by Russian military forces, but said officials remained in contact with plant management.
The power plant’s six reactors remained intact, though the compartment auxiliary buildings for reactor unit 1 had been damaged, the SNRI said in its statement. Four of the remaining units were being cooled down while one unit is providing power, the statement said.
Petro Kotin, head of Ukraine’s nuclear power operator Energoatom, later reported that management were operating at “gunpoint.” He said on Telegram that Russian forces “entered the territory of the nuclear power plant, took control of the personnel and management of the nuclear power plant.”
“Today there is no connection, the station management works at invaders’ gunpoint,” Kotin continued.
“As for the staff, they were admitted in the morning to perform their duties. We do not currently have a direct connection to the station. We get information from the sources at the station.”
Kotin warned that although the reactors are safe, further attacks could lead to “disaster.”
Ukraine’s State Emergency Services (SES) had earlier confirmed several dozen firefighters had extinguished a blaze that had started in a training building outside the main reactor complex, following shelling from Russian military forces.
Reports of the fire raised concern from world leaders and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) — who called for a stop to fighting around the facility — though the IAEA said Ukrainian authorities had reported background radiation levels were normal and the fire had not affected “essential” equipment.
However the ongoing military operation around the site meant the situation was “very fragile,” IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi warned.
Speaking at a press conference in Vienna on Friday, the IAEA’s Rossi said the safety of the reactors had not been affected.
“We are fortunate there has not been a release of radioactive material and the integrity of the reactors has not been compromised,” he said. However, the operator and regulator have relayed to the IAEA that the situation on the ground is “extremely tense and challenging,” he warned.
He explained that a Russian projectile had hit a building within the site, causing a localized fire, but none of the reactors were affected and radiation monitoring systems are fully functional.
Ukrainian staff are still at the helm of operations at the plant, but “effective control” of the site was in the hands of Russian forces, Grossi said, adding: “I hope the distinction is clear.” He said that what happens next at Zaporizhzhia is “a situation that is very difficult to sustain, very fragile” while there is an active military operation and Russian forces in control. “This is unprecedented,” he said. “Completely uncharted waters.”
Grossi later told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour that although radioactive material was not released, it was a “close call.”
He told Amanpour that he had warned both sides that “the utmost restraint is to be exercised in and around this type of facility. Because wittingly or unwittingly, you can very quickly go into a disaster, and this is why we’re so concerned.”
The US ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, told the meeting that the world “narrowly averted a nuclear catastrophe last night.”
She called Russia’s reactions “reckless” and “dangerous,” saying it put Europe’s largest nuclear power plant at grave risk and threatened the safety of civilians in Russia, in the UK and across the European continent. Russian forces were also 20 miles away from Ukraine’s second largest nuclear facility, she noted.
“Nuclear facilities cannot become part of this conflict,” Thomas-Greenfield said. “Mr Putin must stop this madness, and he must stop it now.”
Zelensky pushes for no-fly zone
On Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russian troops of committing a “terror attack” by intentionally firing at the power plant — potentially risking the lives of millions.
He later condemned NATO’s decision to rule out the implementation of a no-fly zone over the country.
NATO’s chief said Friday that a no-fly zone over Ukraine is not an option being considered by the alliance. “We’ve agreed that we should not have NATO planes operating over Ukrainian airspace or NATO troops on Ukrainian territory,” Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said at a press conference earlier in Brussels.
In a Facebook post, Zelensky questioned what the alliance’s members were thinking, saying, “All the people who will die from this day will also die because of you, because of your weakness, because of your disunity.” However, he also expressed his gratitude to NATO countries that have shown support for Ukraine.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the establishment of a no-fly zone in Ukraine by the US and it’s NATO allies could lead to a “full-fledged war in Europe,” but said Washington would continue to work with it’s allies to provide Ukrainians with the means to defend themselves from Russian aggression.
Nuclear plant under attack
Reports of the attack on the facility emerged early Friday morning, with video of the scene showing bursts of gunfire apparently directed at the Zaporizhzhia facility before dawn.
Flames could also be seen on video footage, though for some time it was unclear where the fire was or the scale of the threat posed to the facility.
Ukrainian authorities released video later on Friday from inside the facility’s control room, with an announcement ringing out on a PA system aimed at the Russian forces outside.
“Stop shooting at a nuclear dangerous facility. Stop shooting immediately! You threaten the security of the whole world!” the announcement says.
The Russian government has claimed Ukrainian “provocation” led to a firefight around the nuclear power plant.
In a video briefing, Russian Ministry of Defense spokesperson Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said Russian forces took the city of Enerhodar, the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and the territory adjacent to it on February 28. Konashenkov claimed the plant’s technical staff continued regular work on the facilities, but that Ukrainian forces attempted a “monstrous provocation” in the early hours of Friday. Konashenkov also claimed the Ukrainians had set fire to the training building themselves.
CNN could not immediately verify any details of the firefight on the territory of the plant.
The Russian government has routinely and without evidence claimed the Ukrainian government is staging “provocations” to provoke a military response by Western governments.
It’s the not first nuclear plant to come under threat from the Russian invasion. On the first day of the assault, Russian forces seized control of the Chernobyl power plant in northern Ukraine, the site of the world’s worst nuclear disaster, according to Ukrainian officials.
The Chernobyl nuclear power plant reactor exploded in 1986, when Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union — sparking a disaster that affected, directly or indirectly, nine million people, due to radioactive materials released into the atmosphere.
The IAEA said in a statement that Ukraine had informed it staff held at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant since Russian military forces took control of the site a week ago were facing “psychological pressure and moral exhaustion.”
CNN’s Lauren Said-Moorhouse, Kaitlan Collins, Sam Fossum, Julia Hollingsworth, Pete Muntean, Travis Caldwell, Steve Almasy, Akanksha Sharma, Masha Angelova, Hira Humayun, Philip Wang Radina Gigova, Xiaofei Xu, Emmet Lyons and Ami Kaufman contributed to this report.
Russian occupation: Moscow will struggle to occupy Ukraine
“The Russian army is overextended and in a precarious position if Ukraine becomes a protracted war,” Seth Jones, vice president of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington, DC-based think tank, said in a social media post.
“Assuming 150,000 Russian soldiers in Ukraine and a population of 44 million, that is a force ratio of 3.4 soldiers per 1,000 people. You can’t hold territory with those numbers,” Jones said.
He compared that Russian force ratio to occupations after previous wars around the world, saying successful ones had force ratios that were “astronomically higher.”
For example, he said, the Allied forces occupying Germany in 1945 had 89.3 troops to 1,000 inhabitants; NATO forces in Bosnia in 1995, 17.5 troops to 1,000 inhabitants; NATO forces in Kosovo in 2000, 19.3 to 1,000, and international forces in East Timor in 2000, 9.8 to 1,000.
Writing in the 2003 review of the RAND Corp. think tank, analyst and mathematician James Quinlivan said a benchmark force ratio for a successful occupation is about 20 to 1,000.
US and coalition force ratios in Afghanistan in 2002 and Iraq in 2003 were only 0.5 to 1,000 and 6.1 to 1,000 respectively, according to statistics cited by Quinlivan.
“High numbers of troops and police are critical to establish basic law and order,” Jones said. “In fact, the number of Russian soldiers in Ukraine aren’t even enough to hold any major cities for long.”
And if Russian occupiers face a guerrilla war in the event the Ukrainian government falls, odds won’t be in their favor, he said.
“They will be in serious danger of being picked apart by Ukrainian insurgents.”
Soviet forces waged a lengthy campaign against Ukrainian insurgents after the end of World War II. Partisan warfare continued through the late 1940s in parts of western Ukraine, but the Soviets crushed most armed resistance by the early 1950s.
US officials have also noted how stretched Russia’s supply lines have become even in the early stages of invasion.
As one senior US official explained to CNN, Russia anticipated a fast victory and may have neglected to plan for sufficient resupply of its forces. Supply lines, this official explained, are a “definite vulnerability.”
But US administration officials said Monday that Russia was expected to ramp up its operations in Ukraine.
The officials warned lawmakers in classified briefings that a second wave of Russian troops will likely consolidate the country’s positions within Ukraine, and could by sheer numbers be able to overcome the Ukrainian resistance, according to two people familiar with the briefings.
“That part was disheartening,” one lawmaker told CNN.
Still, a map of current Russian positions shows Moscow’s forces have gained control of only a small portion of Ukraine — a vast country just slightly smaller than the US state of Texas.
And again, looking at past conflicts, Russia faces formidable challenges in taking Ukraine’s urban areas, like the capital, Kyiv.
“Urban terrain offers incredible resources and advantages for a defending force to cause disproportionate numbers of causalities on an attacking element, cause the attacker to run out of time in the strategic environment, and ultimately bring the momentum of an attack to a screeching halt,” John Spencer and Jayson Geroux wrote this month for the Modern War Institute at West Point, home of the US Military Academy.
The pair, former US and Canadian military officers respectively, pointed to conflicts from World War II to the Korean War to Chechnya to Syria, where urban defenders were able to inflict high losses on their attackers.
With a 40-mile (64-kilometer) column of Russian military vehicles and armor lined up in the direction of Kyiv, what Spencer and Geroux point out happened to Russian armor in Grozny, in Chechnya, in 1995, might be especially ominous for Moscow’s current forces.
Chechen separatists, operating in teams with as few as two men, and using only rifles, grenades and grenade launchers, set on Russian armored vehicles from basements and the upper floors of buildings, they wrote.
“Main tanks and other weapons could not effectively return fire,” Spencer and Geroux said.
“Once in their trap, ambush teams would strike the vulnerable points of Russian tanks and armored personnel carriers, hit the lead and trail vehicles, quickly withdraw, and then move up the flanks to strike the now paralyzed Russian columns again,” they said.
Over three days in January 1995, one Russian brigade lost 102 of its 120 armored vehicles and 20 of 26 tanks to the Chechen separatists in Grozny, they said.
If this example even holds partially true for what the Russian invaders will face in Ukraine’s cities, the war will not be coming to any quick end.
Apple’s iPhone SE Plus 5G (2022): Tim Cook & Co urging to occupy the budget phone market
usually puts out a new SE (special edition) iPhone every four years. However, recent leaks and rumors are pointing towards more frequent budget iPhone releases, such as in 2024, when it’s expected that Apple will give us a much-needed redesign of the most affordable iPhone in line with more recent models.
, at least according to Bloomberg’s usually reliable leaker, Mark Gurman.
So, it’s now certainly starting to look like except from competing with the likes of Samsung and Xiaomi in the premium flagship segment, Tim Cook and company have realized that they could win over millions of new customers if they focus on the budget smartphone segment. Hence, no more four-year cycles for the SE iPhone.
iPhone SE Plus 5G (2022): Apple saves the planet… again
The iPhone SE 2022 is almost as ancient as this banger.
As you might already know, Apple is expected to be recycling old hardware for the new iPhone SE Plus 5G. The sky is blue. Zebras are black & white (OK, they are technically black with white stripes). The point is – I can already see angry comments all over social media, and I get it.However, it’s rather easy to criticize Apple’s decision to keep the iPhone 8 design around for another two years. In fact, this was my first impulse, too, until I realized I’m still using an iPhone 8, which serves me well but starts to show its age – as any five-year-old phone would. For the record, my main device at the moment is a Google Pixel 6 Pro.
And so… it hit me. The new-old iPhone SE, which initially seemed super uninspiring (I’m pretty sure it still does for most), might actually be the upgrade I need until I decide to splurge for an iPhone 14 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro.
Am I getting an iPhone SE? Let’s go over what’s rumored to come to the 2022 budget iPhone and give you my personal take on what else it might need to stay competitive and win me over, despite the dated form factor. Spoiler: It’ll take a lot!
iPhone SE Plus 5G (2022): Can Apple rescue the ancient iPhone 8 design?
Touch ID is back, except not under the iPhone 14 Pro’s screen.
About two weeks ago, display analyst with a 100% track record, Ross Young, informed us that the next SE iPhone is indeed expected to be called “iPhone SE Plus 5G”, which already hints at one of its selling points. While 5G isn’t a huge deal in my book as it’s still far from fully developed and takes a toll on battery life, it’d certainly make the new iPhone SE Plus more future-proof.According to Young, iPhone SE Plus 5G panel production has already begun. By the way, don’t let the name of the phone lead you on. This isn’t going to be a big iPhone. Despite the expected “Plus” name, the iPhone SE Plus 5G is said to stick to a 4.7-inch LCD screen instead of the much roomier 5.5-inch panel of the last Plus unicorn – the iPhone 8 Plus.
If you’re curious, my personal take on the weird naming is that Apple is trying to tell us the new SE iPhone literally “adds 5G“. Hence, “Plus 5G” – one phrase.
That’s pretty much as much as we know about the iPhone SE Plus 5G, based on leaks and rumors. But before we continue with a short analysis of what features we might end up getting from the iPhone SE Plus 5G, here’s a list of features I’d personally love to see. I think they can rescue the ancient-looking 2022 SE iPhone and make it a bit more competitive in the pool of modern Android mid-rangers:
- A bigger battery (similar to the iPhone 13 mini)
- The most efficient 5G iPhone chip – A15 Bionic (from iPhone 13)
- The iPhone 13 primary camera experience for photos and videos, including HDR 4 for photos/videos, Night Mode, Portrait Mode for photos of people, pets, and objects, Cinematic Mode, Photographic Styles
- 128GB of base storage and a new 256GB model
- Same $399 starting price
How realistic is my iPhone SE Plus 5G wishlist?
A15 Bionic and a bigger battery
Based on the case with the iPhone SE (2020), it’s safe to assume the latest and greatest A15 Bionic processor from the iPhone 13 will make its way into the iPhone SE Plus 5G. It’s the most efficient 5G Apple makes, and the tiny SE needs to be as efficient as possible. Especially if Apple decides to keep the same 1821 mAh battery size, which, unfortunately, I think has a good chance of happening.See, technically, there’s more space in the iPhone SE’s chassis to fit a bigger battery than there is in the iPhone 13 mini’s, which is smaller than the SE, and packs much bigger camera sensors. Yet, compared to the iPhone SE (2020), the iPhone 13 mini boasts a 33% bigger cell (2438 mAh). That’s a huge difference. Is it possible that Apple will try and hit a nice middle ground and give us the iPhone 12 mini’s 2227 mAh cell? I don’t know, but I’d take it over the same old 1821 mAh battery.
The iPhone 13’s camera on the $399 iPhone SE Plus 5G
When it comes to the single camera on the back of the iPhone SE Plus 5G, it’s pretty safe to assume that this one will receive an image processing bump, thanks to the new chip, just like the iPhone SE (2020) did back in the day. I believe Apple will finally add Night Mode to the budget iPhone SE Plus 5G. I also see Photographic Styles being implemented alongside Smart HDR 4 for more balanced photos and videos.
What about the iPhone 13’s most hyped camera trick, Cinematic Mode? Technically, I don’t see why the iPhone SE Plus 5G wouldn’t be able to get this feature. Cinematic Mode is software-based and doesn’t use any special hardware like the LiDAR scanner. However, as I said – it’s one of the iPhone 13’s selling points, at least according to Apple’s marketing, which might be a reason to skip it on the budget iPhone.
What’s also very interesting to see is whether Apple will go with the same old iPhone 8 front and rear camera sensors as they did with the iPhone SE (2020). Like the design, these are now becoming ancient. For example, the 7MP front camera on the SE (2020) isn’t on par with recent iPhones when it comes to video – HDR is poor, and output is capped at only 1080p.
The single rear camera can go a long way with the aid of the iPhone 13’s software processing, but the smaller iPhone 8 sensor would mean almost no natural bokeh and poor low-light performance, which is another hint that Apple might simply be obligated to give the iPhone SE Plus 5G Portrait Mode for objects and Night Mode – both missing from the iPhone SE (2020). A new set of camera sensors, like from the iPhone 11, would be amazing to see, but… probably not hapenning.
$399 price for 128GB of storage
Given that the iPhone SE Plus 5G will stick to the same old design, I see absolutely no reason for it to get more expensive. Furthermore, recent rumours come very close to confirming the $399 price tag. As reported by 91Mobiles, India has imported a few iPhone SE Plus 5G variants. The import data base suggests a price of around Rs 23,000, which converts to roughly $300. Of course these prices aren’t final, as they don’t include things like tax. It’s pretty safe to assume Apple isn’t going to be making the 2022 SE cheaper, but it also looks like it won’t be getting any more expensive.
About the 128GB of storage? I think it’s a toss up. In 2021, Apple finally decided to give the vanilla iPhone flagship 128GB of base storage. So, I don’t see why the trend wouldn’t continue. Nowadays, people use more apps than ever before and take pictures and videos of anything and everything. Moreover, it’s just another good selling-point for a phone with an old design. If the SE Plus 5G gets 128GB of base storage, it’s likely that the only other option will be 256GB – priced at $499.
Why does the iPhone SE Plus 5G exist and can it challenge modern-looking Android mid-rangers?
A reminder of how far Android has come in terms of design.
It’s 2022! Why would a phone with the iPhone 8’s design exist or be acceptable? Well, apart from the obvious reason that Apple is the only company able to get away with this, it looks like this is (still) the only way to keep the SE iPhone priced as low as $399. This in itself is important if Apple wants to put iPhones in the hands of as many people as possible. In case you didn’t know, the top 10 best-selling Android phones in the world cost between $100-250. That’s right, no Galaxy S21 Ultra or Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra on that list. It’s budget and mid-range Android phones that sell the best, so it’s not a surprise that Apple wants to get a piece of that pie with much more frequent iPhone SE releases.
If my wishlist comes to fruition, and the iPhone SE Plus 5G is able to last a day on a single charge; gives you the iPhone 13 primary camera experience; and starts at $399 for 128GB of storage, this would be a challenge for Android mid-range smartphones and brands that specialize in them.
Many of the most competitive mid-range phones from OnePlus, Xiaomi, Oppo, and even Samsung, aren’t sold in nearly as many markets as iPhones (70+ countries). Most of them also don’t offer important (to some) features like wireless charging and water resistance, which the iPhone SE Plus 5G will certainly include – the 2020 model did.
And finally, they simply can’t match Apple’s brand recognition – a key for marketing and sales. The iPhone SE Plus 5G’s biggest selling-point won’t be the iPhone 13’s camera or improved battery life (given that it gets them), but the fact that it’s an iPhone.
Just like the previous two generations of SE iPhones, this one is perfect for those who either want to get their first iPhone (especially people in developing markets), or those who love the old design. And, yes, they still exist. The iPhone SE (2020) accounted for an impressive 19% of US iPhone purchases in Q2 of 2020. 73% of all iPhone SE (2020) buyers in the US were upgrading from an iPhone that was launched before 2017 – in other words, an iPhone with a home button.
iPhone SE Plus 5G might have two advantages over the iPhone 13
Before we wrap up, let’s not forget that nowadays, Touch ID, which of course, will be making a comeback, together with the iPhone SE’s home button, can actually be seen as a better alternative to Face ID, found on modern iPhones.
Although after a two-year wait since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Face ID can now work with masks, this feature is only supported on iPhone 12 and iPhone 13. Moreover, the iPhone still won’t be able to unlock if you’re wearing a mask and sunglasses at the same time since to recognize a masked face, it looks for features around the eyes. In other words, Face ID is still far from perfect, while Touch ID just works.
Also, the 2020 iPhone SE included a charger in the box, and since this is indeed a budget phone, meant to appeal to people who can’t afford a $1,000 iPhone, it’s likely that Apple might decide to be generous and keep the charger around. Still, this is nothing more than a guess on my end. Also, is it something that should affect your purchase decision? Probably not, but it’s there… OK, if it is.
iPhone SE Plus 5G Android alternatives: Better and cheaper?
iPhone SE (left) and the alleged Pixel 6A (right).
In the end, if you’re in a market like India, Europe, or really anywhere, Android will give you an abundance of iPhone SE alternatives. Furthermore, in markets like India, the SE iPhone is usually quite a bit more expensive than it is in the US. Same for Europe, where it starts at 479 EUR. Not exactly the same sweet deal as $399, right?
Depending on whether they’re available in your country, the OnePlus Nord 2, Google Pixe 5A, and the slightly older but certainly worthy Galaxy S20 FE are going to have a ton of advantages over the SE, including bigger and better screens, multiple cameras, much larger batteries, etc.
Furthermore, according to Jon Prosser, we’re expecting a redesigned Google Pixel 6A in May 2022. Again, if Google phones are available where you are, and if you’re willing to wait up, this one might be worth considering. However, in case you don’t want to wait around, the already affordable Google Pixel 6 (originally priced at $599) is now starting to drop in price, for example, on eBay. Needles to say, this one will be on a whole other level compared to the SE.
The iPhone SE Plus 5G will look super dated – that’s for sure. But it will certainly be the cheapest (new) iPhone you can buy. It’s for those who already know they want a mid-range iPhone – not for those looking to choose between a budget iPhone and Android since the latter have so much more to offer.
On a personal note, the Google Pixel 6 Pro remains my primary phone. However, let’s see if the SE Plus 5G will be good enough to convince me to upgrade from my iPhone 8. I’ll get back to you!
Myanmar police occupy hospitals in Yangon ahead of national strike | Myanmar coup
Police in Myanmar have occupied hospitals and universities and reportedly arrested hundreds of people involved in protesting last month’s military coup, while a coalition of labour unions called a nationwide strike for Monday.
Tension was high in the country’s biggest city, Yangon, on Sunday night, where gunshots from heavy weapons could be heard in several areas after the 8pm curfew. The sounds of what apparently were stun grenades could also be heard on videos posted on social media.
Some of the shooting was heard near hospitals, where reports said neighbourhood residents sought to block the entry of police and soldiers.
Security forces have previously targeted medical personnel and facilities, attacking ambulances and their crews. There are fears the police presence in hospitals would allow authorities to arrest wounded people presumed to be protesters.
The international Physicians for Human Rights group condemned the occupation of hospitals, saying in a statement that it was “appalled by this latest wave of violence by the Myanmar military, including the invasion and occupation of public hospitals and wanton excessive force against civilians”.
“If it was not obvious before, it is absolutely clear now: the Myanmar military will not stop violating the rights of the people of Myanmar until the international community acts decisively to prevent and account for these outrageous acts,” it said.
The group said the occupation of hospitals by force was a violation of international law which “only serves to further undermine a health care system already embattled by the Covid-19 pandemic and by the military’s recent coup d’état”.
It said one eyewitness account reported armed security forces entering and seeking to occupy West Yangon General Hospital by force. It said it also had reports of Yangon General Hospital, North Okkalapa Waibagi Specialist Hospital, South Okkalapa Women and Children’s Hospital, East Yangon General Hospital, and Central Women’s Hospital, being occupied by the military.
The group said it had received similar reports from Mandalay, Monywa, and Taunggyi.
An alliance of influential worker unions in Myanmar has called for an extended nationwide strike starting on Monday, with the intention of causing the “full, extended shutdown” of the country’s economy in an attempt to halt the military coup.
In a statement, nine labour organisations called on “all Myanmar people” to stop work in an effort to reverse the seizure of power by the military.
Workers in several industries have joined the protest movement, most notably from the state railway and the banking sector.
Moe Sanda Myint, chair of the Federation of Garment Workers Myanmar, said she believed the majority of workers would join.
“We are urging to continue the strike until the dictatorship is uprooted,” she said.
Andrew Tillett-Saks, Myanmar country program director for the Solidarity Center, a US-based worker rights organisation, said the strike “increases the likelihood that many more from the private sector will answer the call in the days and weeks that follow”.
“This is a strategy that could actually plausibly really pressure the military,” he said.
Tens of thousands of people came out in Myanmar on Sunday in one of the biggest days of protest against the coup, despite overnight raids by security forces in Yangon, on campaign leaders and opposition activists.
In a single Yangon neighbourhood, Shwepyitha, at least 100 students were reported to have been arrested, and many protesters were also said to have been detained in other cities, especially at universities.
Police fired teargas and stun grenades in Lashio town in the country’s northern Shan region, according to live video posted on Facebook. A witness said police opened fire to break up a protest in the historic temple town of Bagan, but it was not clear if they were using rubber bullets or live ammunition.
A National League for Democracy (NLD) member, Soe Win, confirmed that some party officials were arrested in Saturday night raids, but the exact number was unknown.
At least one community leader linked to the ousted NLD government of Aung San Suu Kyi, 58-year-old Khin Maung Latt, was killed during a raid at Pabedan township in Yangon, said Tun Kyi with the Former Political Prisoners Society.
“He was beaten and taken in a raid… and it seems he underwent a harsh interrogation,” he told AFP, adding his body had been taken to a cemetery.
The Burma Human Rights network said two other NLD members had also died since Friday, one after being arrested for participating in a protest in Northern Shan state and the other was stabbed in Magway region by army supporters, it said.
The United Nations says security forces have killed more than 50 people since daily protests began after the military overthrew and detained elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi on 1 February.
Reuters and the Associated Press contributed to this report.