Venezuela’s Public Ministry has opened a criminal investigation into presidential candidate Edmundo González Urrutia and opposition leader María Corina Machado, the country’s Attorney General Tarek William Saab said in a statement on Monday.

The Public Ministry said the investigation was sparked by the two opposition figures’ call for the military and police to stand “on the side of the people” in an open letter published on social media on Monday.

Venezuela’s electoral body, long stacked with regime allies, declared strongman Nicolas Maduro the winner of the recent presidential election, but has yet to provide tallies proving his win. The opposition, which enjoyed strong polling figures prior to the vote, says it won by a landslide.

The Public Ministry accused the defendants of “falsely announcing a winner of the presidential elections,” adding that only the country’s official National Electoral Council is qualified to make that call.

According to the agency, González and Machado will be investigated for “the alleged commission of the crimes of usurpation of functions, dissemination of false information to cause unrest, incitement to disobey the law, incitement to insurrection, association to commit crimes and conspiracy.

“We have known for years what tricks the regime uses, and we are well aware that the National Electoral Council is entirely under its control. It was unthinkable that Mr. Maduro would concede defeat,” she wrote.

Venezuela’s opposition and multiple other nations have refused to recognize Maduro’s victory in the July 28 vote until the release of the full vote tally.

The US, among the countries that consider González the winner, said last week that it was“clear” President Maduro lost the popular vote. Maduro’s government has in turn accused the US of attempting to orchestrate a coup – which it denies.

Though Maduro had promised free and fair elections, the process was marred with allegations of foul play – with opposition figures arrested, their key leader Machado banned from running, opposition witnesses allegedly denied access to the centralized vote count, and overseas Venezuelans largely unable to cast ballots.

Protests broke out across Venezuela following the vote, which saw the government detain hundreds of opposition supporters. Maduro has warned that he will send them to high-security prisons.

As foreign governments implore Maduro to respect Venezeualan’s human rights, Pope Francis issued a statement on X on Sunday calling for all parties in Venezuela to engage in dialogue.

Venezuela was once the fifth-largest economy in Latin America, but under Maduro’s watch, it has seen the worst economic collapse of a peacetime country in recent history. The country suffers from chronic shortages of vital goods and soaring inflation, which has pushed millions to flee.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

A United Nations investigation has found that nine employees from its main agency for Palestinian humanitarian relief, UNWRA, “may have” been involved in the October 7 attack and no longer work at the agency.

UNRWA has 14,000 staff members in Gaza.

The investigation was launched in January after Israel accused some UNRWA employees of participating in the attack that left 1,200 people in Israel dead. UN investigators were not able to speak with the accused, though some accused responded to written questions.

The UN’s Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) investigated a total of 19 employees who were accused by Israel of participation in the attack.

“The evidence obtained by OIOS indicated that the UNRWA staff members may have been involved in the armed attacks of 7 October 2023,” OIOS said in a statement. In nine other cases, OIOS said that the evidence was “insufficient” for the employees to be fired, but that “appropriate measures will be taken in due course.” In the final case, “no evidence was obtained by OIOS to support the allegations of the staff member’s involvement.”

In a statement on X, a spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Nadav Shoshani, said: “9 of your employees might have participated in the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust.”

“Your ‘relief’ agency has officially stooped to a new level of low, and it is time that the world sees your true face.”

UNRWA was founded by the UN a year after the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, which marked the creation of Israel and the displacement of more than 700,000 Palestinians from their homes in an event known by Palestinians as the Nakba (catastrophe).

The agency provides a wide range of aid and services to Palestinian refugees and their descendants. It is a major source of employment for the refugees, who make up most of its more than 30,000 employees across the Middle East, and has representative offices in New York, Geneva and Brussels.

In a statement on Monday, UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said that his agency’s “priority is to continue lifesaving and critical services for Palestine Refugees in Gaza and across the region, especially in the face of the ongoing war, the instability and risk of regional escalation.”

“UNRWA is committed to continue upholding the fundamental principles and values of the United Nations, including the humanitarian principle of neutrality, and to ensuring that all its staff abide by the Agency’s policy on outside and political activities.”

Cut off from vital funding

The Israeli government in January accused some UNRWA staff members of involvement in the October 7 attacks. The Israeli government did not make their evidence public, nor – according to UNRWA – did they share it with UNRWA. Nonetheless, UNWRA in January said that it had terminated the accused employees’ contracts.

Israel in February released some details about 12 employees whom it accused, including their names, photos and alleged roles with Hamas. The additional details also included screengrabs of what Israel said were two UNWRA employees – a social worker and math teacher – in Israel on October 7.

The allegations led to several UNRWA’s most important donor countries to withdraw funding from the agency. Most of those countries have reinstated their funding. The United States – historically, UNRWA’s largest donor – has not.

Israel accused further employees of involvement in March and April.

OIOS investigators met with Israeli officials as part of their investigation and review their intelligence. They also reviewed UNRWA employees’ communications and media reports.

“Because of safety concerns,” they did not meet with the accused UNRWA staff or corroborating witnesses.

“In some cases, however, OIOS was able to request and secure videorecorded statements from the subjects who responded to a series of set questions addressing the allegations of their involvement in the armed attacks of 7 October 2023,” the UN said in a statement.

In 2016, facing the looming threat of layoffs, Nelly Agbogu took a bold leap into entrepreneurship. Launching Nellies Nigeria, a snack business, marked the beginning of her journey.

However, it was the subsequent realization of a gap in the market that would truly shape her entrepreneurial path.

“At the time, I was aware of a wave of layoffs happening within my company, and I realized it was only a matter of time before I would be affected,” Agbogu recalls. “This served as a wake-up call, it fueled my passion to become my own boss and embark on my entrepreneurial journey,” she said.

As she grew Nellies Nigeria, Lagos-based Agbogu recognized the power of social media in driving business success.

“My own experiences with growing Nellies Nigeria using social media revealed a gap in knowledge among other business owners, inspiring me to share my strategies and insights,” she explains.

From Nigeria to the world

This led to her creating Naijabrandchick, a platform that she says was designed to “empower and propel Nigerian SMEs towards sustainable growth and dominance through effective use of social media and access to new markets.”

To achieve this, she identified key challenges faced by Nigerian SMEs, including limited access to markets, inadequate business education, and insufficient funding.

To address these challenges, Agbogu launched the Naija Brand Chick Trade Fair, a platform connecting SMEs directly with customers.

“Many Nigerian SMEs struggle to reach a buying audience, which is a significant barrier,” she explains. “The trade fair creates a platform where businesses can connect directly with customers.”

The trade fair has become a resounding nationwide success attracting thousands of exhibitors yearly since it started in 2018.

Its impact has also been significant.

“One standout example involves a shoemaker from Lagos who sold 1,000 pairs of shoes in just two days, marking a record high for her business,” Agbogu said.

“One story I will never forget was that of a widow from Benin who took part in the trade fair and sold products worth millions of naira, enabling her to pay her children’s school fees. It’s heartwarming. We are always oversubscribed because entrepreneurs consistently tell us they achieve sales they have never achieved before in just two days at the fair,” Agbogu said.

As Naijabrandchick continues to grow, Agbogu’s has now extended her vision globally.

Agbogu is heading to London with a contingent of Nigerian entrepreneurs who will take their goods and services to England’s capital city from August 17 to 18. The fair will be held at the Intercontinental O2 hotel and is free to attendees, who must register ahead of time.

“My motivation for expanding Naijabrandchick to London has always been deeply rooted in my commitment to SMEs,” she explains. “I constantly think about how I can help Nigerian SME owners thrive and improve their businesses.”

The London event will feature workshops and networking sessions designed to offer participants high-end sales and marketing strategies.

“These events will provide attendees with exposure to international business leaders and market trends, offering a unique learning atmosphere compared to events held in Africa,” Agbogu says.

Ambitious plans

Agbogu has ambitious goals to replicate the Naijabrandchick model in other countries such as Rwanda, Kenya, the US, Canada, and the United Arab Emirates, as well as generate more than $10 million in revenue per event by 2029.

Part of her plan to help African SMEs scale and grow is to offer access to quality business education. “High-quality business education is often expensive and out of reach for many which is why I created the Dominate Sales and Influence (DSI) program to provide affordable training alongside top business leaders, to equip entrepreneurs with essential growth strategies.”

Financial support is another critical area. “The lack of access to funds is perhaps the greatest challenge for Nigerian SMEs,” she notes. In response, she partnered with Wema Bank to offer single-digit loans to SME owners, providing the financial backing needed to thrive.

Agbogu is determined that through her work African entrepreneurs will access a global market. “I envision a vibrant future for African entrepreneurship, characterized by innovation, increased global visibility, and significant economic impact,” she says.

Far-right riots swept Britain over the weekend, with outbreaks of anti-immigrant violence in a number of cities and towns, leaving the new UK government scrambling to control the worst disorder in more than a decade.

Crowds of far-right agitators set fire to hotels housing asylum seekers, leaving those inside trapped and terrified, while throngs of rioters in other cities damaged public buildings and clashed with police, throwing objects at officers and smashing their vehicles.

Protests first broke out late last month, after an anti-immigrant misinformation campaign stoked outrage over a stabbing attack that left three children dead in Southport, northern England.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer chaired his first COBRA session on Monday morning – an emergency meeting of national agencies and branches of government – to discuss the response to the disorder. “This is not protest,” he said on Sunday, adding: “It is organized, violent thuggery and it has no place on our streets, or online.”

The riots are the first crisis for Starmer, who became Britain’s leader a month ago after his Labour Party unseated the Conservatives in a general election. His next steps will be closely watched by lawmakers and the public.

Here’s what we know about the violence, and what may come next.

What happened on Britain’s streets?

Throughout Friday, Saturday and Sunday, violent protesters congregated in city and town centers across the UK, many of them apparently intent on clashing with police and causing havoc.

The gatherings ostensibly started as anti-immigration marches, organized on social media platforms like X and on WhatsApp and Telegram groups. They quickly turned disorderly and violent.

Protesters set ablaze two Holiday Inn hotels, in the town of Rotherham, northern England, and in Tamworth, in the Midlands, central England, that were believed to be housing asylum seekers awaiting a decision on their claims.

The Rotherham hotel at the time was “full of terrified residents and staff,” according to a statement by South Yorkshire Police Assistant Chief Constable Lindsey Butterfield.

In Tamworth, rioters threw projectiles, smashed windows and started fires, injuring one police officer, according to local authorities. In Rotherham, they threw wooden planks, used fire extinguishers against officers, set fire to objects near the hotel, and smashed windows to gain entry to the building, police said.

Violence also took place in Sunderland, Middlesbrough, Stoke-on-Trent and several more cities, mostly across the Midlands and north of England. The Home Office said Sunday that mosques in the United Kingdom were being offered “greater protection with new emergency security.”

In all, more than 370 people were arrested following the weekend’s violence and the number was expected to rise “as forces continue to identify those involved and continue to apprehend those responsible,” the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), the UK’s national law enforcement body, said.

Many more suspects have yet to be identified, and authorities have pledged to use facial recognition and other technologies to track them down.

“People in this country have a right to be safe and yet, we’ve seen Muslim communities targeted, attacks on mosques, other minority communities singled out, Nazi salutes in the street, attacks on the police, wanton violence alongside racist rhetoric,” Starmer said at Downing Street.

“So no, I won’t shy away from calling it what it is: Far-right thuggery,” he added.

What caused the unrest?

The violence was most immediately triggered by the stabbing of a number of children in Southport, northwest England, earlier in the week – a rare and shocking incident that left three young girls dead and the country reeling.

The far-right seized on and spread a wave of disinformation about that incident, including false claims the suspected attacker was an immigrant, to mobilize anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant protests. Police say the suspect was born in Britain.

But anti-migrant rhetoric has become increasingly widespread in Britain in recent years, with critics saying that trend has emboldened far-right sympathizers and contributed to scenes like those seen over the weekend.

Last month’s general election saw Reform UK, a populist right-wing group running on a confrontational anti-migration platform, pick up the third-most votes of any party, after a campaign in which the topic of immigration featured heavily.

Nigel Farage, the leader of the party, condemned the violent riots on Monday, but added “deeper long-term problems remain,” criticizing what he deemed the “soft” policing of previous anti-racism riots and the “fracturing of our communities as a result of mass, uncontrolled migration.”

Some lawmakers in the Conservative Party, which shifted its rhetoric and policy towards the right over its 14 years in power, particularly on issues of migration, hit back at qualifications like those made by Farage.

In a thinly veiled swipe at Farage and other Reform Members of Parliament (MPs), former hardline Conservative Home Secretary Priti Patel wrote: “Violence and thuggery is always unacceptable. There is no qualification or exception. And politicians on all sides must be willing to stand up and say so.”

And Diane Abbott, Britain’s first female Black MP and the longest-serving woman in the House of Commons, wrote Monday: “Nigel Farage must be happy this morning. Anti-immigrant marches up and down the country and black and brown people living in fear.” A spokesperson for Farage declined to comment.

Criticism of social media companies

The locations and times for the riots were shared days in advance across social media and on messaging services like WhatsApp and Telegram, causing social media companies to be dragged into Britain’s national conversation about how to tackle the violence.

In particular, Elon Musk’s X platform has been criticized by figures across the political spectrum for allowing far-right figureheads like Tommy Robinson back onto the service, where he has published a stream of posts encouraging the protests, while criticizing violent attacks.

Starmer’s decision Sunday to double-down on his message, made earlier in the week, that the protesters were “far-right thugs” was pointed; that initial declaration was criticized by right-wing accounts online, leading to the circulation of the hashtag #FarRightThugsUnite on X.

Musk himself wrote on X over the weekend that “civil war is inevitable,” in response to a post on the platform that blamed the riots on “mass migration and open borders.”

On Monday, the prime minister’s spokesperson told reporters “there’s no justification for comments like that,” adding that Starmer “wouldn’t share those sentiments.”

Starmer faces first crisis

The last time Britain faced social unrest on this scale was in 2011, when a fatal police shooting of a Black British man in north London led to protests that turned into days of riots in the capital.

The man in charge of bringing those offenders to justice was Keir Starmer, then Britain’s Director of Public Prosecutions. And Starmer faces a similar crisis just one month into his premiership.

Starmer ordered courts to open 24 hours to process rioters and looters swiftly in 2011, and the following year credited this speed of processing cases for playing “some small part in bringing the situation back under control.” He has responded similarly now, using governmental powers to allow courts to sit for longer.

But Starmer also faces unique challenges in 2024, after a decade in which Britain’s public services have complained of underfunding and have been brought close to gridlock.

Fewer than 1,500 spaces were available across prisons in England and Wales as of Friday, the British Ministry of Justice reported on August 2, ahead of a weekend in which hundreds of people were arrested. In July, the UK’s Secretary of State for Justice said that British prisons were “on the point of collapse,” routinely operating at 99% capacity since the start of 2023.

The crisis has abruptly ended Starmer’s post-election honeymoon and caused MPs from across the political spectrum to urge him to recall Parliament, which is in its summer recess, for a debate about the riots. Starmer’s spokesperson said the government is focusing on responding to the riots.

Parliament has been recalled six times in the past decade, according to PA Media, but just once to respond to a live crisis unrelated to the Covid-19 pandemic – the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban in 2021.

Middle Eastern nations are bracing for the potential widening of the Israel-Hamas war amid threats by Iran to avenge the killing of Hamas’ political leader in Tehran last week.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed to retaliate against Israel for the assassination of the head of Hamas’ political bureau Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on Wednesday. The country’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has warned that “blood vengeance” for the killing is “certain.”

Both Tehran and Hamas blame Israel for the killing but Israel hasn’t confirmed or denied involvement.

Hundreds of Lebanese prepared to flee the country as nations called on their citizens to leave Lebanon. The US embassy in Beirut on Saturday encouraged citizens who wish to depart “to book any ticket” as several airlines suspended or canceled flights to the country. In Israel, the government evaluated its preparedness and options should Iran and its regional proxies attack, while citizens stocked up on supplies in anticipation of an Iranian assault.

This week’s events could determine the course of the war in Gaza and significantly shift the focus away from the besieged enclave if retaliation by Iran escalates into a wider regional conflict involving the United States and other nations. Such escalation could also jeopardize efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza and release hostages, despite recent progress in negotiations.

Iran and Israel exchanged direct fire for the first time in April after a decades-long shadow war during which the two sides avoided striking each other’s territory. Iran launched 300 projectiles at Israel on April 13, accusing it of attacking its diplomatic building in Syria earlier that month. Israel responded with a limited strike on Iran. While the unprecedented exchange was contained at the time, another round of fighting may be harder to keep from escalating.

The US has boosted its preparedness to defend Israel in case of another Iranian attack. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin discussed comprehensive security strategies to protect Israel, according to a statement on Monday. The discussions included detailed scenarios outlining both defensive and offensive capabilities. And Michael Kurilla, the commander of US Central Command, is in the Middle East, according to a US defense official, who would not say what country Kurilla was in or whatever other countries he would be visiting.

In a last-ditch effort at diplomacy, regional countries have reached out to Iran to try to calm tensions. Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi flew to Tehran on Sunday, a rare trip for a top official from the US-allied monarchy. Separately, Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatti called Iran’s Acting Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani to discuss the “unprecedented and very dangerous” regional escalation, according to the Egyptian foreign ministry.

‘A major mistake’

But Iranian officials are not relenting. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told Safadi that Haniyeh’s assassination was a “major mistake by the Zionist regime (Israel) that will not go unanswered,” according to Iranian state TV. In a weekly news conference in Tehran, Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said on Monday that the country is determined to deter Israel and that “no one should doubt” its resolve in doing so.

Israel could also face an attack from its northern front. Israel assassinated Fu’ad Shukr, a high-ranking Hezbollah commander, last week in response to the killing of 12 children with a rocket on the town of Majdal Shams in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said Shukr’s killing “crossed red lines” and will be met with an “inevitable” response, hinting at coordination with other regional groups.

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Iran “and its minions” on Sunday that his country was determined to “stand against them on every front and in every arena –  far and near.”

“Anyone who harms us will pay a very heavy price,” Netanyahu said during a speech in Jerusalem. He reiterated his assertion that increasing military pressure on Hamas was the only way to achieve the goals of the war in Gaza and bring the hostages home.

Israel and Hamas have blamed each other for failure to reach a deal.

Anti-government rallies took place in several cities across Israel on Saturday, demanding a deal to secure the release of all hostages held in Gaza despite regional security threats.

Speaking at a weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday, Netanyahu said he instructed an Israeli delegation to leave for Cairo on Saturday to continue negotiations for a ceasefire and the exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners.

He said Israel had an “ironclad commitment” to return all hostages, adding that he’s “ready to go a long way” to win the release of all hostages while maintaining Israel’s security.

Israel was considering its options to prepare for a regional attack over the weekend. The government “is reviewing possible actions that would exact a price in the case of attempts by Iran and its proxies to attack Israel,” the Israeli defense ministry said in a statement on Sunday.

Gallant said Israel was “prepared very strongly in defense – on land and in the air and we are ready to move quickly to attack or to react,” insisting on the importance of readiness for a quick transition from defense to attack.

On Thursday, IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari said that while the country had “very good defense systems” and international partners who have reinforced their deployment in the region, Israel’s defenses were “not hermetically sealed.”

Business as usual in Beirut

Meanwhile, residents of both Israel and Lebanon are preparing for a wider conflict. Major airlines suspended flights to both countries, leaving some Israeli travelers stranded abroad, and residents of Lebanon scrambledto get on flights out of the country.

The US embassy in Beirut said that some commercial options out of the country remained available despite several airlines suspending or canceling flights, and other flights selling out.

In the summer months, Lebanon is usually packed with visitors from abroad, mainly from the Lebanese diaspora, giving the country a much-needed economic boost. Many such travelers are considering cutting their vacations short and taking the first flight back home.

But even as the specter of war looms over the country, many are operating normally. Along Beirut’s seafront on Sunday, Arabic pop music blared through speakers as groups of men, beers in hand, sunbathed. Behind them, younger men practiced their diving skills in the Mediterranean Sea as children in floaties swam in the rocky sea.

Samer Othman, 51, said he doesn’t think the region is on the brink of an expanded war. “If we were to have war, it would have happened 10 months ago,” he said, referring to October, when Hezbollah launched cross border attacks on Israel after Israel launched a devastating assault on Gaza following the Hamas-led October 7 attack during which 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 taken hostage.

Walking shirtless on the corniche with his elderly father, Othman said a lifetime under multiple wars had strengthened him and his countrymen. “The country is used to problems and shocks. We can’t live in fear. Fear can only prevent you from living but it won’t prevent death.”

Others, however, were more jittery about the situation. A family was posing for pictures by the rooftop pool of a luxury Beirut hotel when two sonic booms sent them running for cover. They returned to the pool without the children when it turned out there was no airstrike. Israeli jets violating Lebanese airspace often break the sound barrier.

The country braces for war in its own way and tends to pick up after itself. Hours after Hezbollah supporters held a funeral procession for Shukr, the Hezbollah commander, Beirut’s skyline was lit with colorful fireworks coinciding with a concert on the other side of town.

On Sunday, thousands marched to Beirut port to mark four years since an explosion ripped through the city, killing more than 200 people. To this day, no one has been brought to justice. And with the prospect of war on the horizon, many say they don’t have confidence in their leaders or a choice in what comes next.

“This is not a leadership. It’s an existence-ship (sic). This is a situation that we have to live with unfortunately,” Liz Nicholas, 31, said, lowering the placard she’s holding at the march. “They don’t represent me. I don’t think of them as my government or my leadership. They just exist. And for some reason we have to be ok with it or live outside the country like most of us are doing.”

Israelis stock up on essentials

The Jerusalem municipality last week issued instructions on what to do in the event that the city comes under attack, distributing a file with a list of parking lots that will be used as shelters, and a list of bomb shelters. It said residents must be able to reach bomb shelters in 90 seconds. “Residents are advised to clean and prepare their bomb shelters in advance,” the file said.

Residents were advised to stock enough water and food for three days and to buy batteries and flashlights in addition to medications.

Several Israeli agencies and services have stepped up readiness. The emergency services  Magen David Adom said it was prepared for every scenario after a three-day exercise “aimed at preparing for a potential war in the north and blackout scenarios. The exercise involved handling casualty events and “teams practiced a ‘blackout scenario’ with a focus on using satellite communication tools.”

Despite the preparations, many Israelis are continuing with their daily business.

In Tel Aviv’s Dizengoff Circus square, Rony Be’er, 75, walked with his friend, Ivana Reiser, 73, on Monday.

“They could hit us any minute now,” Be’er said. Asked what they are doing to prepare for a potential attack, he said: “We don’t do anything. We just walk.”

Baer and Reiser say that, like many Israelis, they have ready-made shelters at home used in other conflicts. Many of Israeli apartment buildings have built-in “safe rooms,” reinforced with concrete as thick as two feet, as well as heavy steel doors.

All Israeli buildings erected after 1993 are required to have bomb shelters. Cinemas, libraries and malls are also equipped with bomb shelters. Some remain closed but open automatically when sirens go off.

Theater students Roy Dror, 23, and Ron Heckmann, 26, say they’re not doing much to prepare for an attack, but know exactly where the shelters are should the sirens sound.

Heckmann, who grew up in the northern Israeli town of Nahariyah on the border with Lebanon, said he and his family “used to suffer a lot of bombs.” Compared to the north, he said, Tel Aviv feels safe.

The prime minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina resigned on Monday after weeks of deadly anti-government demonstrations gripped the South Asian nation.

The announcement from Army Chief Waker-uz-Zaman came after protesters stormed the official residence of the prime minister in the capital, Dhaka.

Images showed flames billowing from vehicles near Hasina’s house, with police unable to contain throngs of people charging towards the neighborhood.

At least 91 people have been killed in Bangladesh since mid-July, according to Reuters, during violent confrontations between police and protesters demanding the scrapping of quotas for government jobs.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

China’s internet exploded with joy and pride Monday after the country’s swimmers ended the United States’ decades-long reign in the men’s 4×100 meters medley at the Olympics, a spectacular win for a Chinese team that has faced intense scrutiny in the wake of a doping controversy.

Pan Zhanle, who set the world record in the 100m freestyle last week, powered China from third position into the lead in the final leg of the relay on Sunday, overtaking his American and French rivals in a stunning reversal.

Pan finished in 45.92 seconds, faster than the 46.40 seconds he swam four days earlier in the 100m final.

Team USA finished 0.55 seconds behind the Chinese team, failing to take gold in the event for the first time since the US boycotted the 1980 Moscow Olympics and ending its unbeaten streak stretching back to the men’s medley debut at the 1960 Games.

This is China’s second gold in swimming at the Paris Olympics, following Pan’s record-setting win last Wednesday. But outside China, their success has been met with scrutiny – including from some of their peers in the world of elite swimming.

The Chinese swim team has come under immense pressure following revelations that nearly half the group Beijing sent to the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 had months earlier tested positive for a banned performance enhancing substance.

The swimmers had been cleared by China’s Anti-Doping Agency shortly before the Tokyo Games, after it ruled that the positive tests for a banned heart medication were the result of contamination, likely from a hotel restaurant. The global sports doping watchdog World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accepted the assessment without an appeal.

The accusations, first reported by the New York Times and German public broadcaster ARD in April, have sparked backlash in the swimming world, where doping can result in years-long bans for athletes who violate the rules.

Concern only deepened last week, after WADA acknowledged a separate 2022 case in which two Chinese swimmers tested positive for trace amounts of a banned anabolic steroid. They were provisionally suspended but later cleared of a violation by Chinese officials – again citing contamination linked to food, WADA said.

In China, many social media users saw the Chinese swim team’s historic win in the relay as a resounding vindication.

The victory dominated discussions on Chinese social media on Monday, creating several top trending topics on microblogging site Weibo. The hashtag “Pan Zhanle’s stunning reversal” racked up more than 500 million views, as did another hashtag about the relay gold medal.

Pan, who turned 20 on Sunday, called the team gold medal his birthday present.

“I fulfilled the promise I made a year ago by celebrating my 20th birthday with a team gold medal,” he wrote in a viral post on Weibo, where the swimmer became an overnight celebrity with 1.6 million followers.

“A new journey has begun, and the goals have been quietly set. I hope I can make an even greater contribution to the team. The Chinese swim team is always the best!”

Pan also won fans for his confidence and candidness.

In a pool-side interview with state broadcaster CCTV right after the event, some of Pan’s teammates said they were not happy with their own performance in the earlier legs of the relay. Pan cheered and praised his teammates: “The race is over, and the championship is ours. It shouldn’t be us who are dissatisfied; it should be the others.”

‘We won fair and square’

In China, where the swim team has long been a source of Olympic glory, the doping allegations have brought outrage and accusations of unfair treatment – especially over the scrutiny the team has faced this summer.

Nearly a dozen Chinese swimmers who tested positive three years ago are competing in the Paris Olympics, including two of the quartet that won relay gold on Sunday.

Double gold-medalist Pan did not test positive in 2021, but he has also faced questions over his stellar performance in Paris.

After Pan smashed the world record in the 100m freestyle last week, Brett Hawke, a former Australian Olympic swimmer and coach, posted on Instagram that “it’s not humanly possible to beat that field” and that the swim was “not real life. Not in that pool, against that field.”

Back in China, state media and internet users have rallied to Pan’s defense. On Monday, many Chinese social media users applauded Pan for defying the pressure and proving his accusers wrong.

“If breaking the record the first time didn’t convince the foreigners, this stunning reversal surely did. (Pan’s) so impressive and dominant!” said a comment with 2,300 upvotes.

“Our strength speaks for itself. We won the gold fair and square,” said another.

But overseas, doubts linger.

After Sunday’s relay, British triple Olympic gold medalist Adam Peaty called for stricter doping testing after the British team finished fourth in the race.

“I think we’ve got to have faith in the system, but we also don’t,” he said, according to Reuters. “I think it’s just got to be stricter.”

“One of my favorite quotes I’ve seen lately is there’s no point in winning if you don’t win it fair,” Peaty said. “And I think you know that truth in your heart. Even if you touch and you know you’re cheating, you don’t win it, right.

“So, for me, if you’ve been on that and you have been contaminated twice, I think as an honorable person, you should be out of the sport.”

Israel’s envoy to Japan has hit out at authorities in Nagasaki after they declined to invite him to a peace ceremony commemorating the 1945 atomic bombing of the city, accusing the local mayor of “inventing” security fears.

The decision by Nagasaki contrasts with that of Hiroshima, which hosts its ceremony on Tuesday and has invited Israel.

Both cities had been under pressure from activists and bomb survivor groups to exclude Israel due to its bombardment of Gaza, where tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed since Israel began targeting militant group Hamas following the October 7 attack.

Russia and Belarus have both been disinvited over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine and campaigners had hoped Nagasaki and Hiroshima – which both suffered the horror unleashed by nuclear weapons at the end of World War II – would do the same.

Nagasaki’s mayor Shiro Suzuki told reporters last week that Israel’s exclusion from Friday’s upcoming memorial was due to security concerns and was not a political decision.

“I would like to emphasize that this decision was not based on political considerations, but rather on our desire to hold the ceremony to commemorate the victims of the atomic bombings in a peaceful and solemn atmosphere, and to ensure that the ceremony goes smoothly,” he said, calling the decision “difficult.”

But Gilad Cohen, Israel’s ambassador in Tokyo, rejected that argument.

“I am really surprised by him hijacking this ceremony for his political motivations,” the diplomat added.

Cohen did not reveal more about why he felt there were no security concerns, citing confidentiality. But he pointed out authorities in Hiroshima took no issue with security over Israel’s attendance.

He said he would be laying floral tributes at Hiroshima Peace Park on Tuesday to commemorate the victims of atomic bombing and their families.

The diplomat noted that Iran, which backs both Hamas and Hezbollah, is set to attend the Nagasaki ceremony.

“This is exactly the opposite message that should be sent to the free world and to civilization,” he said.

He did not reveal whether the embassy has made an official complaint to the Japanese government but called Tokyo “an ally of Israel.”

The bombing of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, and Nagasaki three days later led to Japan’s unconditional surrender and brought an end to World War II. But it also killed tens of thousands of people, both instantly and in the months and years to come due to radiation sickness.

Each year the two cities hold memorials attended by diplomats to promote global peace and the idea that nuclear weapons must never be used again.

North Korea claims it is sending 250 new tactical ballistic missile launchers toward its border with South Korea, in the latest bellicose declaration by leader Kim Jong Un against its neighbor.

Photographs published by the North Korean state newspaper Rodong Sinmun showed what appears to be vehicle-based missile launchers, with dozens of large green military trucks lined up in neat rows before Kim.

In an elaborate and orchestrated ceremony on Sunday night, a crowd of spectators cheered as vehicles rolled past and fireworks shot into the sky.

Kim personally oversaw the transfer of equipment to military commanders and chiefs of staff, and delivered a speech claiming the new missile launchers were built with North Korean technology, state media reported.

He added that the display is the first stage of planned missile force construction for the North’s military border units.

“Dialogue or confrontation can be our choice, but what we must be more thoroughly prepared for is confrontation,” Kim said, adding it was the “keynote of our policy toward the US that we have consistently maintained.”

North Korea will make it clear that “if the US ignores our repeated warnings and continues to attempt to undermine the security of the region, it will have dire consequences for its own security,” the dictator added.

What we know about North Korea’s abilities

The border between North and South Korea is already one of the most militarized in the world, and Pyongyang has long claimed that it has huge amounts of artillery and military hardware pointed south.

Sunday’s display in Pyongyang comes during a summer of heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula, with North Korea entering into a new military “strategic partnership” with Russia in June.

While the photos appear to show dozens of green transporter-erector launcher vehicles, and trucks equipped with missile launchers positioned behind the driver’s cab, it’s unclear if any of the vehicles had functioning missiles during Sunday’s event.

Joseph Dempsey, research associate for defense and military analysis at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said on Monday it was difficult to assess if any of the missiles were loaded at the ceremony – but “it would seem unlikely and illogical based on practicality and safety.”

He added that the launcher’s design and terminology is “associated with the Hwasong-11D, a short-range ballistic missile which North Korea claims can be armed with a tactical nuclear warhead.”

“Assuming all 250 launchers are functional it’s unclear if North Korea has produced the corresponding capacity of 1,000 missiles (and beyond),” he added. “It’s highly improbable at least that North Korea has anywhere near that number of tactical nuclear warheads.”

Since conducting its first nuclear test more than a decade ago, North Korea has advanced its weapons capabilities, with the ambition of miniaturizing a warhead so that it can fit on a long-range missile.

Experts say North Korea has likely already manufactured a small stockpile of nuclear warheads – but it remains unproven whether it has been able to make them small and light enough to be fitted on a missile.

North Korea’s ability to deploy a nuclear warhead on any kind of missile is unproven.

Rising tensions

Pyongyang had warned late last year that it would deploy new military hardware along the military demarcation line that separates it from the South, after Seoul partially pulled back from a 2018 agreement designed to ease tensions along the border.

But any goodwill generated by the agreement has evaporated in recent years, and both countries have now officially abandoned it.

Kim, who did not get the concessions he wanted from the US and South Korea during subsequent talks after 2018, has since ramped up the North’s ballistic missile program, pledging to give Pyongyang a nuclear deterrent like that possessed by Washington.

In response to the North Korean buildup, the US and South Korea – along with Japan – have stepped up their military cooperation via exercises and deployments that Pyongyang sees as a threat.

There have been at least three incidents of South Korea firing warning shots since May after North Korean military personnel crossed the demarcation line, the midpoint of the Demilitarized Zone between the two countries.

Following a military blockade, panic and chaos rip through a besieged island: residents scramble to withdraw cash, foreign nationals rush to be evacuated, riots break out in prisons and television networks are hacked into broadcasting enemy propaganda.

These fictitious scenes have stirred emotion and imagination in Taiwan over what an imminent Chinese invasion may look like, since their release last month in a trailer for “Zero Day,” a forthcoming Taiwanese television series.

The 10-part show is the first in Taiwan to dramatize a possible invasion by China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA). That threat has loomed over the self-governing island for decades but is now gaining pace as a more powerful and aggressive China ruled by the Communist Party increasingly flexes its military might, pushing tensions to new heights.

The 17-minute trailer hit close to home in Taiwan, making headlines in local media and garnering more than a million views on YouTube.

“As a 21-year-old, I almost burst into tears when I watched it. Every scene in those 17 minutes felt so close to us. Maybe one day in the future, these scenarios will become the reality around us,” said a top comment with more than a thousand upvotes.

But the show also attracted criticism, including from opposition politicians, who said it created panic and exaggerating the crisis.

The specter of war is nothing new for Taiwan, a progressive democracy living in the shadow of authoritarian China, which views the island as its own territory and has vowed to seize it by force if necessary.

Many of Taiwan’s 23 million people have grown used to Beijing’s military threats, even as they become more regular and prominent under Xi Jinping, China’s strongman leader.

But Hsin-mei Cheng, the showrunner of “Zero Day,” worried that her fellow Taiwan citizens have grown “too numb” to the danger of an impending conflict.

“But as the crisis looms larger over the past two years, I think it’s about time we take a hard look at it and open this Pandora’s box,” she said.

A first in Taiwan

In late 2022, more than half a year into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and months after former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taipei prompted a massive show of force from Beijing, Cheng decided to turn China’s threats against Taiwan into a TV drama.

It was an unprecedented project in an industry that had traditionally shunned sensitive political topics, Cheng said, but she found no shortage of like-minded partners along the way.

Robert Tsao, a chip tycoon and one of Taiwan’s richest men, became the show’s first major investor. The tech billionaire who founded Taiwan’s first semiconductor company, UMC, has previously warned of China’s threat and donated tens of millions of dollars to help Taiwan bolster its defense.

Cheng also assembled a team of 10 directors, each responsible for an episode in “Zero Day” that tells an independent story. Her main criterion for picking the crew: not afraid of being banned by China.

The vast Chinese market of 1.4 billion people has long been a draw for Taiwan’s actors and directors. But as tension rises across the strait, Taiwanese artists are increasingly faced with a choice between vocally toeing Beijing’s political line or being blocked from its lucrative market.

“The existence of this series shows that there are investors and talents who are willing to resist China’s aggression, and there’s a market for them,” said Lo Ging-zim, who directed the show’s trailer and one of the episodes.

“We are all worried and anxious about Taiwan’s present and future, and we hope to contribute what we can with our own skills.”

Taiwan’s government and its military were supportive of the series, too.

The Presidential Office allowed the show to film on its premises, including a room where the president delivers addresses. And with the military’s approval, the production crew shot scenes aboard a warship during its routine drills.

Getting the authorities on board wasn’t easy.

“It took a lot of communication and persuasion at first,” Cheng said. But the officials understood the importance of the issue at stake and the power of films and TV shows in shaping public perception, she added. “Eventually, they decided it could be a good thing if someone makes a TV series about it.”

The show also received funding from Taiwan’s Ministry of Culture. But Lo, the director, stressed it was part of a broader program to support the island’s film and TV industries.

Neither the funding nor the access for filming gives the government any right to interfere with the production, Lo said, adding that “not a single word of the script had been modified by the government.”

“This is not a political propaganda video or patriotic film,” he said.

That level of artistic and political freedom would be impossible in mainland China and even in the city of Hong Kong, which once boasted a comparatively free and outspoken film industry that has been tamed in recent years as part of a wider crackdown.

Some Hong Kong artists have since moved to Taiwan, including Chapman To, who is starring in “Zero Day.” A vocal supporter of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement, To became a naturalized Taiwanese citizen in 2022.

The shooting of “Zero Day”, which started in March, is expected to be wrapped up by the end of November and the show is planned for broadcast in Taiwan next year.

The production team is also in touch with streaming services including Netflix for a potential international release, though discussions are still in the early stages, Lo said.

‘Red infiltration’

Most of the series takes place in the week-long countdown to “Zero Day” – the day of the fictional attack.

It starts with Beijing imposing a naval and aerial blockade on Taiwan, under the pretext of search and rescue for a PLA aircraft that “vanished” near the island. In the final episode, Chinese soldiers make landing in Kinmen, a frontline island controlled by Taiwan.

Cheng noted the show doesn’t feature many bloody scenes of military combat – instead, much of the focus is placed on “red infiltration” by China’s ruling Communist Party.

“For me, the war has already begun in Taiwan. It is not being fought through guns and cannons, but through information and infiltration. It’s permeating our daily lives,” she said.

Taiwan officials have increasingly warned against China’s cognitive warfare operations, including disinformation campaigns to sway public opinion.

In “Zero Day,” Chinese infiltration and cognitive warfare takes on many forms – from the lure of money and power to the threat of violence.

In the trailer, a Taiwanese influencer casually encourages her fans to give up the fight and endorse a “peace agreement” with Beijing while livestreaming herself savoring an ice cream; elsewhere, a group of felons walk free from prison and instigate unrest, attacking those who refuse “unification.”

Neither of these scenarios are unimaginable. Thanks to the island’s free speech protections, which were hard won after decades of martial law rule, it is not unusual to see Taiwanese celebrities and influencers parroting Beijing’s talking points. Meanwhile, Taiwan authorities have long publicly accused certain organized crime groups of spreading pro-Chinese Communist Party influence.

In another chilling scene in the trailer, the president’s emergency address to Taiwan is hacked during a live broadcast, with an AI deepfake declaring war on China. Then, television screens across the island abruptly cut to a newscast on Chinese state TV. With an eerie smile, an anchor in a pink suit announces, “the PLA promises all Taiwanese compatriots will be fully protected” and urges them to report any “pro-independence forces” in hiding.

Su Tzu-yun, a military expert at Taiwan’s Institute for National Defense and Security Research who has served as an adviser to “Zero Day,” said the series would be “an important force in countering China’s ‘gray zone tactics’” – or actions just below what might be considered acts of war.

“In the face of fear, people can build up confidence, and this can indirectly and partially offset China’s influence warfare.” he said. “At the same time, when this film is shown on international streaming platforms, viewers around the world can learn about Taiwan from a new perspective,” he added.

The teaser has drawn praise as well as criticism.

Some blamed the series for creating panic. Lee Yen-hsiu, a member of parliament from the opposition Kuomintang party – which in recent decades has pushed for closer ties with China – accused the show of exaggerating the threat of war and further deterring international tourists from visiting Taiwan.

Others accused the trailer of making the Taiwan government look too feeble in the face of aggression from China – which has a military, population and economy that dwarfs Taiwan’s.

Lo, the director, said the government’s capability and Taiwan’s social cohesion were deliberately weakened in the show to highlight the power of Chinese infiltration – and alert Taiwanese people to be more vigilant in real life.

“We want to explore what part of humanity will show up in such a state – would it be fragility, fear and greed or courage and empathy?” he said.

“I believe every Taiwanese person has their own version of Zero Day attack in their mind. We were just the first to make it into a series.”

Cheng didn’t mind the mixed reaction.

“We all think it’s a good thing. As long as the show generates attention and discussion, it means that it resonates with something in people’s hearts,” she said.

Cheng said she didn’t want the show to cause division in Taiwan. During the production process, the crew tried to search for a common denominator that could represent the aspirations of all Taiwanese people.

They found an answer and placed it in the trailer – in the form of a line in the presidential address – “We will always believe, without choices, there’s no freedom. Without freedom, there’s no Taiwan.”

“I hope the show can serve as a wakeup call to the Taiwanese people: what should we do when we still have the right to choose?” Cheng said.