BANGKOK, Thailand -- China's Belt and Road Initiative projects are being scrutinized in Thailand after Myanmar's 7.7 earthquake pancaked a 30-floor building 600 miles away which Chinese engineers were constructing in Bangkok.

The incomplete skyscraper was the only building to collapse in the lightly damaged Thai capital.

The disaster exposed allegedly substandard steel reinforcing rods which had snapped, reducing the building to a huge rubble pile which crushed about 87 construction workers including 15 confirmed dead and 72 who disappeared.

"I watched multiple clips of the building collapse from different angles," a stunned Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra said.

"From my experience in the construction industry, I have never seen an issue like this.

"We must investigate thoroughly because a significant portion of the budget was allocated, and the deadline for completion had been extended," Ms. Paetongtarn said.

The investigation began with a bizarre, troubling sight.

On February 22, 2024, China's Ambassador to The Hague, Zhang Jun, uttered the unexpected.

His testimony, like that of a number of others, was meant to help the International Court of Justice (ICJ) formulate a critical and long-overdue legal opinion on the legal consequences of Israel’s occupation of Palestine. 

Zhang articulated the Chinese position, which, unlike the American envoy's testimony, was entirely aligned with international and humanitarian laws.

But he delved into a tabooed subject—one that even Palestine's closest allies in the Middle East and Global South dared not touch: the right to use armed struggle.

The Ohio Statehouse is in full swing, doing what it does best, which is to try to boost fracking of our beloved state parks, wildlife areas, and public lands. However, push back DOES work -- we've already gotten positive changes into one bill, and we need to keep pushing.

Saturday, April 5, 12noon
Ohio Statehouse and many cities around the country and Ohio 

Donald Trump and Elon Musk think this country belongs to them. Columbus is fighting back!

They're taking everything they can get their hands on—our health care, our data, our jobs, our services—and daring the world to stop them. This is a crisis, and the time to act is now.

On Saturday, April 5th, we're taking to the streets to fight back with a clear message: Hands off! 

• Columbus, OH: Ohio Statehouse  When: 12-2 pm, REGISTER

• Westerville, OH: 21 S State St. When: 12-1:30 pm, REGISTER

• Grove City, OH: 4035 Broadway  When: 4-5 pm, REGISTER