Bermet Talant

Digital producer @DatelineSBS. Ex-Ukraine, Central Asia reporter. 2021 @risj_oxford fellow

[Bermet Talant @bermet_talant]

Fantastic reporting. Incredible stories. This topic hits harder now that I have my very own little girl. It brought tears to my eyes
https://t.co/OR3fLpBlTR

[Aubrey Belford @AubreyBelford]

NEW from @OCCRP

What does one woman's kidney transplant have to do with a deal to re-open what was once one of the world's biggest mines?

Panguna is a $160 billion gold and copper mine on Bougainville island that has been closed since 1989 after rebels there launched a war for independence from Papua New Guinea.

Bougainville could become the world's newest country as early as next year. The mine will pay for independence.

But Bougainville's president, Ishmael Toroama, recently made a surprising choice. Rather than work with a major international mining company, he chose an Indian company few people had heard of — and which had no experience with major gold and copper mining.

It turns out that Indian company, Lloyds Metals and Energy Ltd, did have one thing going for it: It helped saved Toroama's wife's life

[The Kyiv Independent @KyivIndependent]

It’s time to say it plainly. America’s leadership has switched sides in the war. The American people have not, and they should speak up. https://t.co/k10aXeiGpy

[Yashar Ali 🐘 @yashar]

In an extraordinary display of public support, heads of state, heads of government, and foreign ministers from all over Europe and Canada are posting in support of Ukraine in response to the Oval Office meeting with Trump, Zelenskyy, and Vance.

[Bermet Talant @bermet_talant]

In 2019, @AubreyBelford wrote a story that's now being used to attack his organisation, US foreign aid, and the free press as part of a conspiracy theory amplified by Elon Musk himself. He tells what really happened.
https://t.co/HyjsguxT6B

[Aubrey Belford @AubreyBelford]

American conspiracy theorists @MikeBenzCyber and @shellenberger are online claiming a 2019 story I wrote for @OCCRP was a CIA / deep state operation to impeach Donald Trump

There’s just one little problem…

[Bermet Talant @bermet_talant]

Are you an NGO or a media outlet that ran USAID-funded projects in the Asia-Pacific? I would love to ask a few questions for a story for SBS Australia. Please, retweet or tag if you know someone, or DM me. Thank you!

[Bermet Talant @bermet_talant]

Little did we know how much worse it would be in 2025

[Miss O'Kistic @missokistic]

*wakes up and looks at phone*
ah let's see what fresh horrors await me on the fresh horrors device

[Annie Sparrow @annie_sparrow]

Lifesaving health initiatives and medical research projects have shut down around the world in response to Trump’s 90-day pause on foreign aid. A supposed exception for lifesaving humanitarian assistance seems often not to exist in practice. https://t.co/wcTTi04ukG

[Lindsay Owens @owenslindsay1]

This is an excellent summary of Musk’s takeover of the Treasury from @NYMag’s @chasdanner, with quotes from WSJ, NYT, WaPo, and my op-ed from @MSNBC yesterday.

But this quote from @smotus is right on the money. This isn’t efficiency. It’s a coup.

https://t.co/XivGG5Zz2H

[Andrew Roth @Andrew__Roth]

Trump planning to issue executive order as early as tonight to shut down USAID and merge it with State, says source. Rubio will be acting head. Logos already being taken down at the Ronald Reagan Building.

[Ruslan Trad @ruslantrad]

“Syria has been flooded with imports in the aftermath of Bashar al-Assad’s ousting, with the end of dollar restrictions and exorbitant tariffs leading to a boom in goods that disappeared from shelves during the civil war.” by @SarahDadouch
https://t.co/ljMwj1e6DU

[Aya Majzoub @Aya_Majzoub]

We @amnesty spent yesterday visiting the Assad government’s security and intelligence branches in Damascus. For years, survivors had described the horrors they experienced in these underground dungeons. But nothing could have prepared us for what we saw.

[Aubrey Belford @AubreyBelford]

The recent hit piece against @OCCRP does not deserve any oxygen. Our work is editorially independent. The fact we are funded in significant (but not exclusive) part by US grants is something we’ve always been open about. It’s right there on our website: https://t.co/EC3H57q6IQ

[Bermet Talant @bermet_talant]

@vera_acbk_kz Hi Vera! I emailed you last Friday about an interview for SBS Australia and wanted to follow up here. Would love to connect if you're available. Thanks!

[Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project @OCCRP]

Former UK PM Tony Blair is in Baku advising #COP29 host Azerbaijan at this month’s climate talks.

U.N. data shows that at least 12 advisers from Blair’s nonprofit are being paid by the conference hosts as members of Azerbaijan’s delegation to the event.
https://t.co/OFGfjgG6hF

[Aubrey Belford @AubreyBelford]

During the 1st Trump admin, Mercury’s lobbying for foreign clients included:

* A right wing party in Macedonia implicated in corruption and spying on citizens (laundered via an anonymous shell company)

* Turkish businesses (Turkey got incredible access to Trump 1st time around)

[Luke Harding @lukeharding1968]

A grim moment for #Kyiv. A second Trump presidency means the probable end of US military assistance to Ukraine. The country's troops are already outgunned on the battlefield, with Russia advancing at the fastest rate since 2022. East - most of Donetsk oblast - may be lost in 2025

[Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський @ZelenskyyUa]

Congratulations to @realDonaldTrump on his impressive election victory!

I recall our great meeting with President Trump back in September, when we discussed in detail the Ukraine-U.S. strategic partnership, the Victory Plan, and ways to put an end to Russian aggression against Ukraine.

I appreciate President Trump’s commitment to the “peace through strength” approach in global affairs. This is exactly the principle that can practically bring just peace in Ukraine closer. I am hopeful that we will put it into action together.

We look forward to an era of a strong United States of America under President Trump’s decisive leadership. We rely on continued strong bipartisan support for Ukraine in the United States.

We are interested in developing mutually beneficial political and economic cooperation that will benefit both of our nations. Ukraine, as one of Europe's strongest military powers, is committed to ensuring long-term peace and security in Europe and the Transatlantic community with the support of our allies.

I am looking forward to personally congratulating President Trump and discussing ways to strengthen Ukraine's strategic partnership with the United States.

[Aubrey Belford @AubreyBelford]

Anyone interested in a job as a core team story editor with @OCCRP? We're hiring and, personally, I'd love it if we got good candidates living in an Asia-Pacific timezone...