The trials of Muhammad Yunus | China exports zero germanium and gallium in August as national security curbs bite | South Korea says it 'will not stand idly by' if North Korea receives Russian help on nuclear weapons | CNN

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The trials of Muhammad Yunus - The Economist    To foreign donors, development wonks and some of the world’s poorest people, Muhammad Yunus is a hero. The Bangladeshi economist, social entrepreneur and founder of Grameen Bank pioneered the use of microloans and other services for those too marginalised to access conventional banking systems. In 2006 Mr Yunus won the Nobel peace prize for his work in grassroots development—empowering the most impecunious. The model he helped pioneer did much to improve economic, social and health conditions in Bangladesh. It has since spread across continents. Yet to Sheikh Hasina Wajed, the prime minister who has ruled Bangladesh since 2009 (and once before), Mr Yunus is diabolical. With a general election due in January, she salts campaign speeches with attacks on him. She calls the development hero a “bloodsucker” of the poor, hellbound for his supposedly extortionate interest rates. She accuses him of embezzlement. She blames him for the World Bank’s decision in 2012 to withdraw from a crucial bridge project over the Padma river, the main channel of the Ganges in Bangladesh, citing corruption. She hints that Mr Yunus might have betrayed his country, by somehow scheming with America to help it control the Bay of Bengal. Sheikh Hasina has long had it in for Mr Yunus. In 2011 she pushed for his removal as head of Grameen Bank; later the government took control of its board. His main offence may perhaps be that, back in 2007, during a grim period of military rule, he briefly toyed with the idea of entering politics. But it was never a very serious prospect; politics, he tells Banyan, “is not my cup of tea”. Now 83, Mr Yunus patently poses no direct threat to Sheikh Hasina. But that is not deterring the prime minister’s Awami League (AL) and the country’s compliant police and judiciary from redoubling the persecution that she has unleashed. Continued here Don't like ads? Go ad-free with TradeBriefs Premium China exports zero germanium and gallium in August as national security curbs bite - CNBC    China did not export any germanium and gallium products in August, after export curbs kicked into effect at the start of that month for these two chipmaking metals. Customs data on Wednesday showed that China exported zero germanium product last month, down from 8.63 metric tons in July, Reuters reported. July germanium exports were more than double that of June's, as purchases spiked ahead of the effective date for the curbs that are part of China's escalating war with the U.S. and its allies over access to strategic technology. Continued here South Korea says it 'will not stand idly by' if North Korea receives Russian help on nuclear weapons | CNN -     South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol warned on Wednesday that his country and its allies “will not stand idly by” if North Korea receives Russian help to boost its weapons of mass destruction – just days after the leaders of the two nuclear-armed nations held a closely watched summit. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un traveled to Russia last week for a meeting with President Vladimir Putin. Ahead of the meeting US officials warned that the two leaders could strike a deal that would provide weapons for Moscow to use in its grueling war against Ukraine – and that could see sanction-hit Pyongyang gain access to vital Russian technology. Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Yoon declared: “While military strength may vary among countries, by uniting in unwavering solidarity and steadfastly adhering to our principles, we can deter any unlawful provocation.” Continued here

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