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☆ India election: Modi’s Muslim remarks spark ‘hate speech’ accusations as mammoth vote deepens divides
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-22 | by ( Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

CNN —India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been accused of delivering Islamophobic remarks during an election rally Sunday, triggering widespread anger from prominent Muslims and members of the opposition. India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaking during a rally in Sydney, Australia, on May 23, 2023. Kalpit Bhachech/Getty Images Narendra Modi, then BJP secretary is welcomed at Ahmedabad Railway Station by the party's followers on January 31, 1992. Kalpit Bhachech/Dipam Bhachech/Getty Images Narendra Modi pictured in India on January 23, 1998. Brent Lewin/Bloomberg/Getty Images India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses Congress at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on June 22, 2023.

Persons: CNN —, Narendra Modi, Islamophobic, Modi’s, Modi, ”, ” Modi, Matthew Abbott, Hiraben, Damodardas, Dipam Bhachech, Lal Krishna Advani, Subhas Chandra Bose, Kalpit Bhachech, Kalpit, Negi Yasbant, Amit Dave, Ajit Solanki, Kevin Frayer, Saurabh Das, AP Modi, Manish Swarup, Lucas Jackson, Barack Obama, Adrien Helou, Reuters Modi, Adnan Abidi, Stringer, Mark Zuckerberg, David Paul Morris, Marco Longari, Angela Merkel, Tobias Schwarz, Emmanuel Macron, Charles Platiau, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, India's, Jair Bolsonaro, Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Amit Shah, Money Sharma, Boris Johnson, Phil Noble, Anthony Albanese, Brent Lewin, Pedro Ugarte, Joe Biden, Doug Mills, Paul Mashatile, Jacoline, Imtiyaz Khan, Amr Alfiky, Rana Ayyub, Asaduddin Owaisi, “ Modi, Mallikarjun Kharge Organizations: CNN, CNN — India’s, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, Indian National Congress, of India, India's, New York Times, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Getty, Modi, Hospital, Narendra, India Today, AP, Madison, Garden, Reuters, Washington , D.C, French National Space Agency, of Yoga, Meta, Facebook, Bloomberg, European, Saudi Arabia's Crown, Rashtrapati Bhavan, Kyodo, British, Summit, Qudos Bank, White, Anadolu Agency, Anadolu, United, United Arab Emirates, Sangh, Hindu, “, Hate Locations: Rajasthan, Sydney, Australia, Gujarat, India, Ahmedabad, Ahmadabad, Varanasi, New Delhi, United States, Washington, Washington ,, Toulouse, France, Xian, AFP, Menlo Park , California, U.S, Pretoria, South Africa, China, Berlin, Paris, Rashtrapati, Russian, Brasilia, Glasgow, Red, Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, Abu Dhabi, United Arab, BJP, “

☆ In India’s 2024 election, BJP’s main opposition appears increasingly weak in face of Modi juggernaut
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-20 | by ( Helen Regan | Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +21 min

Supporters of India's opposition party, Indian National Congress, during an election rally in Puducherry on April 15, 2024 R. Satish Babu/AFP/Getty ImagesDemocracy under threat? Dipam Bhachech/Hulton Archive/Getty Images Modi worked his way through the ranks of the BJP, establishing himself as a respected politician. Tobias Schwarz/AFP/Getty Images Modi hugs French President Emmanuel Macron after a ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, on June 3, 2017. Brent Lewin/Bloomberg/Getty Images India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses Congress at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on June 22, 2023. Pedro Ugarte/AFP/Getty Images Modi offers a toast during a State Dinner with President Joe Biden at the White House in Washington, on June 22, 2023.

Persons: ”, Narendra Modi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Indira Gandhi, Gandhi, ” Hazari Lal Rajput, Satish Babu, Modi, Modi’s, Matthew Abbott, Hiraben, Damodardas, Dipam Bhachech, Lal Krishna Advani, Subhas Chandra Bose, Kalpit Bhachech, Kalpit, Negi Yasbant, Amit Dave, Ajit Solanki, Kevin Frayer, Saurabh Das, AP Modi, Manish Swarup, Lucas Jackson, Barack Obama, Adrien Helou, Reuters Modi, Adnan Abidi, Stringer, Mark Zuckerberg, David Paul Morris, Marco Longari, Angela Merkel, Tobias Schwarz, Emmanuel Macron, Charles Platiau, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, India's, Jair Bolsonaro, Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Amit Shah, Money Sharma, Boris Johnson, Phil Noble, Anthony Albanese, Brent Lewin, Pedro Ugarte, Joe Biden, Doug Mills, Paul Mashatile, Jacoline, Imtiyaz Khan, Amr Alfiky, Arati Jerath, “, it’s, Rahul Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Indira, India’s, Jawaharlal Nehru, gunning, ” Modi, shouldn’t, Mohammad Irfan, —, Arvind Kejriwal, Altaf Qadri, Kejriwal, Atishi, you’re, Jerath, Gandhi ‘, ’ Modi, Christophe Jaffrelot, CNN Modi, Rasheed Kidwai, Rahul, Diptendu Dutta, Mamata Banerjee, Muthuvel Karunanidhi Stalin, ” Kidwai, ” Jerath Organizations: CNN, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, Indian National Congress, Getty, Democracy, Modi’s BJP, Pew, New York Times, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Modi, Hospital, Narendra, India Today, AP, India's, Madison, Garden, Reuters, Washington , D.C, French National Space Agency, of Yoga, Meta, Facebook, Bloomberg, European, Saudi Arabia's Crown, Rashtrapati Bhavan, Kyodo, British, Summit, Qudos Bank, White, Anadolu Agency, Anadolu, United, United Arab Emirates, Developmental Inclusive Alliance, Indian, Aadmi Party, Delhi, AAP, Aam Aadmi Party, All, Trinamool, West, All India, Congress, “, “ Democracy Locations: India, Uttar Pradesh, Ramlila, Puducherry, Modi’s, Sydney, Australia, Gujarat, Ahmedabad, Ahmadabad, Varanasi, New Delhi, United States, Washington, Washington ,, Toulouse, France, Xian, AFP, Menlo Park , California, U.S, Pretoria, South Africa, China, Berlin, Paris, Rashtrapati, Russian, Brasilia, Glasgow, Red, Ayodhya, Abu Dhabi, United Arab, INDIA, Delhi, India’s, Lok Sabha, Atishi, ”, Manipur, Siliguri, West Bengal, Tamil

☆ Narendra Modi: India’s popular but controversial leader seeking a transformative third term
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +26 min

Varanasi and New Delhi CNN —Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi once famously made a simple election promise: “good days are coming”. India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses his supporters during an election campaign rally in Pushkar on April 6, 2024. India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaking during a rally in Sydney, Australia, on May 23, 2023. Kalpit Bhachech/Getty Images Narendra Modi, then BJP secretary is welcomed at Ahmedabad Railway Station by the party's followers on January 31, 1992. Brent Lewin/Bloomberg/Getty Images India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses Congress at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on June 22, 2023.

Persons: Narendra Modi, Modi, Himanshu Sharma, Getty Images Modi, –, ”, Saba Naqvi, “, Vajpayee, Naqvi, Dileep Patel, John Mees, Akash Jaiswal, “ We’ve, ” Jaiswal, isn’t, Matthew Abbott, Hiraben, Damodardas, Dipam Bhachech, Lal Krishna Advani, Subhas Chandra Bose, Kalpit Bhachech, Kalpit, Negi Yasbant, Amit Dave, Ajit Solanki, Kevin Frayer, Saurabh Das, AP Modi, Manish Swarup, Lucas Jackson, Barack Obama, Adrien Helou, Reuters Modi, Adnan Abidi, Stringer, Mark Zuckerberg, David Paul Morris, Marco Longari, Angela Merkel, Tobias Schwarz, Emmanuel Macron, Charles Platiau, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, India's, Jair Bolsonaro, Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Amit Shah, Money Sharma, Boris Johnson, Phil Noble, Anthony Albanese, Brent Lewin, Pedro Ugarte, Joe Biden, Doug Mills, Paul Mashatile, Jacoline, Imtiyaz Khan, Amr Alfiky, Patel, India’s, Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv, Rahul Gandhi, Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, “ Narendra Modi, ” Mukhopadhyay, Mukhopadhyay, ” Modi, Keshav Baliram, “ Modi, BJP Modi, Lord Ram, ” Naqvi, Critics, Christophe Jaffrelot, Karan Thapar, ” Jaffrelot, Modi’s, it’s, —, Raj, India Narendra Modi, Kenny Hoston, Ram, ” Raniva, That’s Organizations: New Delhi CNN, Indian, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, India's, Getty Images, Pew, CNN, World Health Organization, New York Times, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Getty, Modi, Hospital, Narendra, India Today, Indian National Congress, AP, Madison, Garden, Reuters, Washington , D.C, French National Space Agency, of Yoga, Meta, Facebook, Bloomberg, European, Saudi Arabia's Crown, Rashtrapati Bhavan, Kyodo, British, Summit, Qudos Bank, White, Anadolu Agency, Anadolu, United, United Arab Emirates, Cambridge, today’s Congress Party, Harvard, The Times, Muslim, Australia Locations: Varanasi, New Delhi, Gujarat, Pushkar, India, “ India, United States, Brazil, “, Sydney, Australia, Ahmedabad, Ahmadabad, Washington, Washington ,, Toulouse, France, Xian, AFP, Menlo Park , California, U.S, Pretoria, South Africa, China, Berlin, Paris, Rashtrapati, Russian, Brasilia, Glasgow, Red, Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, Abu Dhabi, United Arab, Oxford, Vadnagar, Babri, Kadi, Kashmir, United Kingdom, Russia, Ukraine, Israel, Ghaziabad, Meerut, Jama

☆ Putin scores a resounding win, but what’s next for Russia?
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-17 | by ( Nathan Hodge | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +17 min

Sovfoto/Universal Images Group via Getty Images Putin poses for a picture with his wife, Lyudmila, and daughters, Yekaterina and Maria. Brooks Kraft LLC/Corbis via Getty Images Putin rides a horse during a vacation in Southern Siberia in August 2009. Dmitry Astakhov/RIA Novosti/AFP via Getty Images Putin plays with his dogs Yume, left, and Buffy at his home in Novo-Ogaryovo, Russia, in March 2013. Chris McGrath/Getty Images Putin and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attend the G20 summit in Buenos Aires in November 2018. Getty Images Putin speaks with American right-wing pundit Tucker Carlson during an interview in February 2024.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, ”, Dmitry Kiselyov, Mikhail Mishustin, Ukraine –, Kiselyov, “, Maria Putina, Archivio GBB, ZUMA Press Wire Putin, Laski, Maria, Vladimir, Anatoly Sobchak, Lyudmila, Yekaterina, Boris Yeltsin, Yeltsin, Fidel Castro, Reuters Putin, George W, Bush, Stephen Jaffe, Camp David, Brooks Kraft, Alexey Druzhinin, Alexey Nikolsky, Mikhail Metzel, Ivan Sekretarev, AP Putin, Dmitry Medvedev, Dmitry Astakhov, Buffy, Angela Merkel, Jochen Lübke, Thomas Bach, Medvedev, Vladimir Konstantinov, Alexei Chalyi, Sergei Aksyonov, Sergei Ilnitsky, Kirill Kudryavtsev, Alexander Lukashenko, Merkel, Francois Hollande, Petro Poroshenko, Mykola Lazarenko, Barack Obama, Ban, Chip Somodevilla, Turkey Andrei Karlov, Karlov, Donald Trump, Chris McGrath, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, LUDOVIC MARIN, Emmanuel Macron, Volodymyr Zelensky, Eliot Blondet, Joe Biden, Antony Blinken, Biden, Sergey Lavrov, Denis Balibouse, Macron, Sergey Ponomarev, Mikhail Gorbachev, —, Alexander Nemenov, Alexey Danichev, Xi Jinping, Pavel Byrkin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Prigozhin, Pavel Bednyakov, Kim Jong Un, Kim, Tucker Carlson, Zuma Press Putin, Maxim Shemetov, – what’s, Alexey Navalny, Navalny, ” Putin Organizations: CNN, coy, Kremlin, Getty, Russian, ZUMA Press, Putin, KGB, ZUMA Press Wire, Getty Images, Reuters, US, White House, Camp, Brooks, Brooks Kraft LLC, RIA Novosti, AP, AFP, International Olympic, Crimean, Ukrainian, United Nations, UN, Assembly, Russian Foreign Ministry, Sputnik, World, Saudi Arabia's Crown, Macron, SPUTNIK, New York Times, Central Clinical Hospital, AP Putin, Belarus, State Russian Museum, AP North Korean, Vostochny, Tucker Carlson Network, Zuma Press Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Putin Russia, Russian, Bakhmut, St . Petersburg, Leningrad, Germany, Moscow, AFP, Kazan, Cuba, Soviet Union, Southern Siberia, Russia's Tver, Novo, Ogaryovo, Hanover, Sevastopol, Crimea, Belarusian, Minsk, Belarus, France, Turkey, Helsinki, Finland, Buenos Aires, Ukrainian, Paris, Geneva, Switzerland, Taganrog, Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Tsiolkovsky, Russia's, North Korea, United States

European leaders have paid tribute to jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny following reports of his death in prison on Friday. It is terrible that a courageous, fearless voice that stood up for his country has been silenced by terrible methods." Meanwhile, President of the European Council Charles Michel wrote in a post on X: "Alexey Navalny fought for the values of freedom and democracy. President of the EU Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said she was "deeply disturbed and saddened" by news of the death of Navalny. "Navalny fought for democratic values and against corruption.

Persons: Alexei Navalny, Olaf Scholz, Navalny “, Scholz, Angela Merkel, Navalny, Charles Michel, Alexey Navalny, Ursula von der Leyen, Putin, Mark Rutte Organizations: European, EU Commission Locations: Russian, Russia, Germany, Soviet, Siberian, Omsk, Berlin, Berlin’s Charite

☆ Opinion: Is Putin serious about preferring Biden? Ask Fidel Castro
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Opinion Frida Ghitis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

She is a weekly opinion contributor to CNN, a contributing columnist to The Washington Post and a columnist for World Politics Review. CNN —Russian President Vladimir Putin fired off a few intriguing statements during a Wednesday television interview with loyal journalist Pavel Zarubin. Among them was his claim that he would prefer that President Joe Biden win the 2024 US presidential election. After his first summit in Geneva with Biden as president, back in 2021, Putin sounded a similar note. But on Wednesday, the Russian president was contemptuous.

Persons: Frida Ghitis, Vladimir Putin, Pavel Zarubin, Joe Biden, Fidel Castro, Al Gore, George W, Bush, Castro, Fidel, Zarubin, Putin, Biden, “, ” Putin, Angela Merkel, Merkel’s, —, Tucker Carlson, Carlson, Carlson “, didn’t, Donald Trump, Castro didn’t Organizations: CNN, Washington Post, Politics, Texas Gov, Russia “, KGB, Fox News, CIA, Russia, Ukraine Locations: Havana, Cuba, Russia, Geneva, Labrador, Europe, Russian, Ukraine

☆ Opinion: How serious is Trump about pulling out of NATO? Very
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Peter Bergen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The idea that foreign countries are freeloading off the United States plays well with his base, but Trump either doesn’t understand how NATO works or chooses not to. Meanwhile, in 2014, all NATO countries agreed to spend at least 2% of their GDP on defense by this year. Every US president since Barack Obama has pressed NATO countries to reach that expenditure level, but at the time of the agreement, only three NATO countries — the US, United Kingdom and Greece — were doing so. In 2017, NATO European countries and Canada spent around $270 billion on their defense, while the United States spent around $626 billion. No matter how wrong-headed it might be, according to his close advisers Trump seems quite serious about getting out of NATO.

Persons: Peter Bergen, ”, Donald Trump’s, James Mattis, Trump, “, ” Trump, Barack Obama, Greece —, Vladimir Putin, Olaf Scholz, Monday, Putin, United States isn’t “, Angela Merkel, Merkel, John Bolton Organizations: New, Arizona State University, Apple, Spotify, Trump Administration, CNN, NATO, Trump, New York Times, United, Canada Locations: New America, Russia, United States, United Kingdom, Greece, Trump , Russian, Ukraine, Estonia, Lithuania, Romania, Germany, Canada, Japan, Saudi Arabia, New Hampshire, Germans, Washington, New York City, Afghanistan, France

☆ Europe wants to Trump-proof in case of a second term. But that is not an easy task
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-14 | by ( Luke Mcgee | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —Former US President Donald Trump briefly returned as a central character in European politics earlier this week. Multiple EU officials and diplomats noted to CNN that his sudden recollection came at a particularly sensitive time, as the EU attempts to build its own defense capabilities outside of the US-led NATO alliance. Whether Trump actually made these comments or not is largely immaterial to European officials. And his hostility toward the Ukraine war effort has an impact even now, playing into the Republican Party’s reluctance to pass more US funding for Ukraine. Christine Lagarde, head of the European Central Bank, said only this week that Trump’s return would be a “threat” for Europe.

Persons: Donald Trump, Thierry Breton, Trump, Ursula von der Leyen, ” Breton’s, Russia’s Vladimir Putin, Letitia James, Spencer Platt, ”, Joe Biden, Europe’s, Ian Bond, ” Donald Trump, Jim Watson, Angela Merkel, Jesco Denzel, there’s, Christine Lagarde Organizations: CNN, Former, European, Republican, NATO, New York, Getty, Ukraine, “, Trump, EU, Centre, Economic, European Central Bank Locations: Europe, Iowa, Ukraine, New York City, Brussels, EU, United States, America, China, Davos, AFP, Russia, Beijing, Moscow, Charlevoix , Canada, European

☆ Op-ed: Europe is leaving a void in a multipolar world
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Kevin Klowden | Chief Global Strategist At The Milken Institute | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The Russian invasion of Ukraine only three months later served to provide an immediate driver for greater political unity within Europe. China, Russia and even the United States under Donald Trump have expressed dissatisfaction with institutions such as the World Trade Organization, the G7 and the United Nations. watch nowThe void is particularly apparent at the WTO, where the lack of European leadership on trade as the U.S. turned inward is particularly felt. Perhaps nothing shows the consequences of the lack of European strength in preserving these institutions than the Russian invasion of Ukraine. However, the combination of a split over Ukraine, and internal divisions within Europe, have prevented any way for Europe to play a key role with China.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Ursula von der Leyenââ, Pedro Sanchez Perez, Klaus Iohannis, Chancellor, Germany, Olaf Scholz, Charles Michel, Dursun, Angela Merkel, Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, Merkel, Ursula von der Leyen, Xi Jinping Organizations: European Commission, European, European Union, Anadolu Agency, Getty, World Trade Organization, United Nations, WTO, EU, NATO, APEC Locations: Spain, Romania, Brussels, Belgium, United States, China, Europe, Russia, Ukraine, Israel, U.S, Germany, Moscow, India, Southeast Asia, EU, East, Africa

☆ German budget crisis tests limits of its 'debt brake'
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The ruling has sent budget talks into disarray and sparked calls within Chancellor Olaf Scholz's coalition to suspend a constitutionally enshrined "debt brake" that sets legal limits on borrowing. WHAT IS THE DEBT BRAKE AND WHY WAS IT INTRODUCED? HAS GERMANY SUSPENDED ITS DEBT BRAKE BEFORE? Some analysts say the debt brake is ripe for reform and a more flexible fiscal policy would let governments take on more debt to fund much-needed investments. The government is still weighing options, including suspending the debt brake or curtailing spending.

Persons: Kai Pfaffenbach, Chancellor Olaf Scholz's, Angela Merkel's, Christian Lindner, Carsten Brzeski, Philippa Sigl, Robert Habeck, Riham Alkousaa, Holger Hansen, Matthias Williams, Christina Fincher Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Finance, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Frankfurt, Germany, GERMANY, Ukraine

The meeting was aimed at garnering state leaders' support for such moves and addressing local authorities' complaints that public coffers and infrastructure are overburdened. The leader of the central state of Hesse put the total volume of aid at 3.5 billion euros. "Our shared goal is to push back irregular migration," said Scholz, after describing the agreement as a "historic moment." Some 230,000 people requested asylum in Germany in the first nine months of this year, more than in the full year 2022. His government has also agreed changes to existing rules to enable asylum seekers to enter the labour force more rapidly and to punish human traffickers with longer prison sentences.

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Hesse Boris Rhein, Lower Saxony Stephan Weil, Angela Merkel, Scholz, Sarah Marsh, Andreas Rinke, Miranda Murray, Rachel More, Barbara Lewis, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Lower, REUTERS, European Union, Thomson Locations: Hesse, Lower Saxony, Germany, Berlin, BERLIN, Russia, Scholz's

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni reacts during a meeting of European heads of state or government in Granada, Spain October 6, 2023. REUTERS/Juan Medina/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsROME, Nov 3 (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Friday that her chief diplomatic adviser had resigned, carrying the can for a prank call fiasco that led to the release of unfiltered remarks on Ukraine and migration. "This matter was not handled well, we are all sorry, Ambassador (Francesco) Talo took responsibility for it," Meloni said, announcing that her aide had quit. Meloni's office confirmed on Wednesday that she had a phone conversation with a Russian comedian who successfully posed as a high-ranking African Union official. Reporting by Angelo Amante and Alvise Armellini, editing by Keith WeirOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Giorgia Meloni, Juan Medina, Francesco, Talo, Meloni, Angela Merkel, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Britain's Prince Harry, Angelo Amante, Alvise, Keith Weir Organizations: Italian, REUTERS, Rights, NATO, African Union, Kyiv, Democratic Party, Lexus, Thomson Locations: Granada, Spain, Ukraine, Israel, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Russian, Italy, Russia, Kremlin

☆ Li Keqiang: Death of China’s former premier offers glimpse into discontent with Xi Jinping
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Cnn Staff | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

CNN —The sudden death of China’s former Premier Li Keqiang has spurred an outpouring of grief and mourning across the country. But for many, it also appears to offer a rare opening to air pent-up discontent with top leader Xi Jinping and the direction he has taken the country. His death, just months after his retirement, shocked the Chinese public. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang review a guard of honor prior to a meeting at the Chancellery on July 9, 2018 in Berlin, Germany. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang visits a hospital in Wuhan on January 27, 2020, days after the city was placed under a complete lockdown to curb the raging Covid-19 outbreak.

Persons: Li Keqiang, Xi Jinping, Li, Xi –, ”, Alfred Wu, Lee, “, Xi, Angela Merkel, Sean Gallup, Zhang Lun, Mao Zedong, Zhang, “ I’ve, Wu, Li Tao, Zhou Enlai, Mao, Hu Yaobang, Fish Leong, ” Zhang Organizations: CNN, Communist, Lee Kuan Yew, of Public Policy, Getty, Studies, University of Cergy, Peking University, Li, AP Party, Communist Party, Xinhua, CPC, Party Locations: Shanghai, China, Singapore, German, Berlin, Germany, Pontoise, France, Communist China, Wuhan, AFP, Yunnan province, Weibo, Malaysian, Hefei, Anhui, Zhengzhou, Henan, Beijing

☆ Germany, France Hold Unprecedented Cabinet Retreat to Oil Creaky EU Motor
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

"Macron and Scholz are simply very different personalities," Anton Hofreiter, chair of the German parliament's Committee on European Union Affairs and member of the Greens. "Ultimately the point of bilateral relations is to overcome differences- that is the core of the EU," a French cabinet member said, on condition of anonymity. The informal team-building exercise is in keeping with the German tradition of holding cabinet "Klausur" or retreats. The stakes are high, said Detlef Seif, a leading German Christian Democratic Union lawmaker on EU affairs. (Reporting by Sarah Marsh and Andreas Rinke in Berlin; Additional Reporting by Michel Rose in Paris; Editing by Ros Russell)

Persons: Sarah Marsh, Andreas Rinke BERLIN, Jacob Ross, Emmanuel Macron, Angela Merkel, Olaf Scholz, Macron, Scholz, Anton Hofreiter, Detlef Seif, Andreas Rinke, Michel Rose, Ros Russell Organizations: German, Foreign Relations, European Union Affairs, Greens, German Christian Democratic Union, EU, Reuters Locations: France, Hamburg, Europe, Ukraine, China, Brussels, Russian, Berlin, United States, Germany, German, Paris

CNN —The German states of Bavaria and Hesse vote in regional elections on Sunday, in what is widely being seen as a test-case for Germany’s shifting political landscape. In Hesse – home to Frankfurt, Germany’s financial hub – dissatisfaction with Germany’s federal government threatens to deliver a blow to Scholz’s coalition. German flags are carried at an AfD election campaign event. Bavarian Premier Söder chose not to dismiss Aiwanger following the allegations, amid calls from across Germany’s political spectrum for the economy minister’s resignation. Hesse, which was formerly a stronghold for the SPD, is currently governed by the CDU in coalition with the Greens.

Persons: Hesse –, Martin Schutt, shockwaves, of Bavaria, Markus Söder, Angela Merkel, Kirill Kudryavtsev, Charlotte Knoblauch, Katrin, Ebner Steiner, AfD’s, ” Steiner, ”, Hubert Aiwanger, Aiwanger, ” Hubert Aiwanger, Sven Hoppe, Söder, Thomas Kreuzer, Chancellor Scholz’s, Nancy Faeser, Kreuzer, “, ” Kreuzer, Faese, Faeser, Der Organizations: CNN, Social Democratic Party, SPD, Free Democratic Party, Greens, Scholz’s SPD, Bavaria, Christian Social Union, CSU, Christian Democratic Union, CDU, Free Voters, Getty, INSA, New, Central Council of, Germany’s Süddeutesche Zeitung, Zeitung, FW, Bavarian, Greens . Center, ”, Der Spiegel, Interior Ministry Locations: Bavaria, Hesse, Germany, –, Frankfurt, Germany’s, AFP, Saxony, Bavarian, Munich, “, Germany’s Süddeutesche

☆ Poland Election Turns Germany Into Punchbag, Straining Western Alliance
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +7 min

In another dispute, Warsaw resisted a German offer to station Patriot missile air defence units in Poland before eventually agreeing to it. Among the sticking points, one German source said Poland was asking for too much money for the repair works. Another source, a German diplomat, said the talks failed partly because German companies were reluctant to share technical information. SOURING RELATIONSWhile ties between Poland and Germany have been frosty since PiS first came to power in 2015, Poles now see them worsening. Just 47% think relations are good, according to a German Polish barometer poll this year, down from 72% in 2020.

Persons: Marek Strzelecki, Sabine Siebold, Anna Koper, Donald Tusk, PiS, Mateusz Morawiecki, Tusk, Angela Merkel, Olaf Scholz, General Ben Hodges, Krauss, Maffei, Sebastian Chwalek, Thomas Kleine, Berlin, mushroomed, Camp David, ” Hodges, Joe, Biden, Andrzej, Duda, Chancellor Scholz, Justyna Pawlak, Anna Wlodarczak, Alan Charlish, Sarah Marsh, Andreas Rinke, Matthias Williams, Mark Heinrich Organizations: Anna, Anna Koper WARSAW, NATO, Justice, Nazi Wehrmacht, Patriot, Law, Justice Party, U.S, Army, Reuters, Rheinmetall, Polska, Patriots, Foreign, German Marshall Fund Locations: BERLIN, Germany, Berlin, Ukraine, Polish, Nazi, EU, Slovakia, Poland, Warsaw, U.S, Europe, German, PiS, Japan, South Korea

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Andrzej Duda, Thibault Camus, Donald Tusk, PiS, Mateusz Morawiecki, Tusk, Angela Merkel, General Ben Hodges, Krauss, Maffei, Sebastian Chwalek, Thomas Kleine, Berlin, mushroomed, Camp David, ” Hodges, Joe, Biden, Andrzej, Duda, Chancellor Scholz, Justyna Pawlak, Marek Strzelecki, Anna Koper, Anna Wlodarczak, Alan Charlish, Sarah Marsh, Sabine Siebold, Andreas Rinke, Matthias Williams, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Russia, goading, NATO, Justice, Nazi Wehrmacht, Patriot, Law, Justice Party, U.S, Army, Reuters, Rheinmetall, Polska, Patriots, Foreign, German Marshall Fund, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Berlin, Germany, Russia Berlin, goading Warsaw, WARSAW, BERLIN, Polish, Nazi, EU, Slovakia, Poland, Warsaw, U.S, Europe, German, PiS, Japan, South Korea

CNN —Germany announced Wednesday that it is ramping up its border controls with neighboring Poland and the Czech Republic to “limit human trafficking,” as the country faces fierce debate on its migration policy while asylum applications surge. Police will carry out “additional flexible checks and mobile controls along the smuggling routes at the borders with Poland and the Czech Republic,” Interior Minister Nancy Faeser told the press. The announcement came as the interior minister raised the possibility of implementing fixed controls along the borders with its two eastern neighbors this week. Until now, the southern state of Bavaria on the Austrian border was the only part of Germany with stationary border controls, a legacy of the 2015-2016 migration crisis when Europe’s leading economy took in over a million refugees. “We are fighting to keep internal border controls open within the European Union.

Persons: CNN —, Nancy Faeser, Lisi Niesner, Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s, Faeser, Italy –, Berlin’s, ” Alexander Handschuh, Handschuh, Angela Merkel’s Organizations: CNN, Police, ”, Immigration, Scholz’s Social Democratic Party, European Union, Office, Migration, Refugees, German Federal Police, German Association of Towns Locations: Poland, Czech Republic, Czech, Bavaria, Austrian, Germany, Polish, Forst, Hesse, Italy, Berlin, –, Brussels, “, Ukraine, Municipalities

It follows Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the loss of Moscow's cheap natural gas — an unprecedented shock to Germany’s energy-intensive industries, long the manufacturing powerhouse of Europe. The loss of cheap Russian natural gas needed to power factories “painfully damaged the business model of the German economy,” Kullmann told The Associated Press. One hotly debated solution: a government-funded cap on industrial electricity prices to get the economy through the renewable energy transition. However, squabbling among the coalition government over the energy price cap and a law barring new gas furnaces has exasperated business leaders. “The perception of Germany's underlying strength may also have contributed to the misguided decisions to exit nuclear energy, ban fracking for natural gas and bet on ample natural gas supplies from Russia,” he said.

Persons: “, Christian Kullmann, Kullmann, ” Kullmann, Evonik, Robert Habeck, Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Angela Merkel, —, Biden, Scholz, Evonik's Kullmann, Gerhard Schroeder, Holger Schmieding, ”, ” Schmieding, Schmieding Organizations: Jobs, International Monetary Fund, European Union, Evonik Industries, Associated Press, Greens Party, Social Democrat, Free Democrats, Companies, Schott AG, ” Locations: ESSEN, Germany, Ukraine, Europe, Europe's, Essen, Russia, Moscow, China, Bavarian, U.S, Lafayette , Indiana, Brussels, Berlin, Chile, Qatar, ” Germany, Berenberg

☆ Hillary Clinton returns to the White House for arts celebration
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Jeff Mason | Thomson Reuters | Jeff Mason Is A White House Correspondent For Reuters. He Has Covered The Presidencies Of Barack Obama | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Clinton will attend an event with first lady Jill Biden to celebrate Praemium Imperiale Laureates, recipients of a global arts prize by the Japan Art Association for lifetime achievement in the arts. A former senator and first lady, Clinton, a Democrat, was the first woman to be a major U.S. political party's presidential nominee. Recipients of the arts award were first celebrated at the White House by President Bill Clinton and the then first lady in 1994. Though she spent plenty of time at the White House during the Obama administration, Hillary Clinton did not return during Republican Trump's four years in office. With President Joe Biden in the White House since 2021, Clinton has been back, but not to give public remarks.

Persons: Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton, Charles McQuillan, Donald Trump, Clinton, Jill Biden, Praemium Imperiale, Barack Obama, Obama, Republican Trump's, Joe Biden, Angela Merkel, Biden, Trump, Roe, Wade, Jeff Mason, Miral Organizations: Queen's University Belfast, Rights, White, U.S, Japan Art Association, Democrat, Republican, House, Trump, Democratic Party, Electoral College, Thomson Locations: Hillsborough, Belfast , Northern Ireland, U.S

CNN —As Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) grows ever popular, the country’s once dominant Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party finds itself at a crossroads. The center-right CDU was in power for much of Germany’s post-war era and oversaw the reunification of East and West Germany. Max Schwarz/ReutersBerlin’s CDU mayor, Kai Wegner, took to X to write: “What cooperation is there to be had? Populist parties as ‘lightning rods’The CDU’s Michael Kretschmer, state premier of Saxony, believes a shift in policy is the best approach for democratic parties to stop the rise of the far-right. Opinion polls in his state, one of the five that make up Germany’s former east, put the AfD in the lead; Saxony has long been a stronghold for the far-right party.

Persons: Angela Merkel, Friedrich Merz, shockwaves, Merz, Merz backpedaled, ”, Robert Sesselmann, Max Schwarz, Kai Wegner, Jörg, “, ” “, Kühne, ” Tino Chrupalla, John MacDougall, Merkel, it’s, sadi, Michael Kretschmer, Kretschmer Organizations: CNN, Christian Democratic Union, CDU, East, Social, Green Party and Free Democrats, ZDF, Reuters Berlin’s CDU, INSA, New, SPD, Greens, ARD, Bundestag, Getty, Federal Criminal Police, UN, UNHCR, “, Citizens Locations: Germany, West Germany, Sonneberg, Thuringia, Germany’s, Saxony, Leipzig, West, East Germany, East Germans, West Germans, Saxony Anhalt, Ukraine, Poland, Syria

☆ Putin couldn't believe how 'fit' Biden was when they met for their 2021 summit: book
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Vladimir Putin apparently couldn't believe how fit Biden was in 2021, per a new book. In The Last Politician, Franklin Foer wrote about how the Russian president couldn't believe his eyes. Apparently, Putin had taken it to heart that Biden was a feeble man before their 2021 summit. But it was Putin who couldn't believe that President Joe Biden was looking good during their 2021 summit, according to a new book. Advertisement Advertisement Watch: Inside Putin's secret bunker and billion-dollar palace"When Putin called Angela Merkel to deliver the postmortem of the meeting, he told her, 'President Biden is very fit.'"

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Biden, Franklin Foer, couldn't, Putin, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Joe Biden's, Foer, Scranton Joe wasn't scrawny, Angela Merkel, Biden's, Matthew McConaughey's, Boris Johnson Organizations: Service, Scranton, Capitol, British Locations: Russian, Wall, Silicon, Geneva, Ukraine, Rehoboth Beach

☆ Fact Check-Video of Putin ‘snubbing’ Macron has been cropped
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A clip that shows Russian President Vladimir Putin snubbing French President Emmanuel Macron before shaking hands with other world leaders has been cropped. The full video shows that Putin did not ignore Macron. The full video shows that Putin greeted Macron before shaking hands with then German Chancellor Angela Merkel and then U.S. President Donald Trump (timestamp 0:50) (here). A clip taken from a different angle (timestamp 0:27) (here) also shows the leaders shaking hands. The video has been cropped to make it seem like Putin ignored Macron.

Persons: Vladimir Putin snubbing, Emmanuel Macron, Putin, ”, Angela Merkel, Donald Trump, Read Organizations: Reuters, Macron Locations: Paris, France

☆ Germany Takes Step Toward Legalizing Marijuana
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Catie Edmondson | More About Catie Edmondson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The German government approved a plan on Wednesday to legalize some recreational marijuana use, paving the way to allow adults to legally buy and possess small amounts of cannabis. The legislation, which would allow adults to purchase and possess up to 25 grams of recreational cannabis for personal consumption through nonprofit social clubs, must still be approved by Parliament. But the endorsement from the three-party coalition’s cabinet was a crucial step toward Germany becoming the first major European country to legalize marijuana. The measure is weaker than what Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government had originally proposed. The socially liberal coalition announced its intent to legalize recreational marijuana when it came into power in 2021, quickly finding consensus on an issue opposed for years by the government of Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Persons: ”, Karl Lauterbach, Olaf Scholz’s, Chancellor Angela Merkel Locations: Germany

☆ Analysis: No decoupling, but West and China drift apart
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( Mark John | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Containers are seen at the Yangshan Deep Water Port in Shanghai, China, as the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak continues, October 19, 2020. But underlying trade and investment trends point to an unmistakable long-term drift in commercial ties with the West. Take foreign direct investment - the more forward-looking clue as to where commercial ties between countries are heading. WATCH GERMANYSome, meanwhile, point to the fact that U.S.-China trade - exports and imports of goods combined - hit a record $690 billion last year as evidence that the reality does not match the frosty political rhetoric. Last month's China strategy document unveiled by Chancellor Olaf Scholz's three-way coalition left open exactly how far Berlin would ultimately go in reining in commercial ties.

Persons: Aly, China's, Louise Loo, Stephen Roach, Yale Law School's Paul Tsai, Angela Merkel, Chancellor Olaf Scholz's, Mark Leonard, –, Joe Biden, Loo, Mark John, Christina Fincher Organizations: REUTERS, West, Oxford Economics, Yale Law, Yale Law School's Paul Tsai China Center, Reuters, European Council, Foreign Relations, – Mercedes, Benz, BMW, Volkswagen, BASF –, Oxford, Thomson Locations: Port, Shanghai, China, United States, Europe, GERMANY, Germany, Berlin, reining, Taiwan, U.S

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