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☆ Congressmen demand answers after CNN report contradicts Pentagon investigations into deadly Kabul airport attack
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Nick Paton Walsh | Mick Krever | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

The reporting included a video obtained by CNN captured by a Marine’s GoPro camera that had not been seen publicly in full before. Much of the controversy about the Pentagon’s two investigations into the attack has focused on gunfire in the aftermath of the blast. “Lastly, why do journalists have this video footage and the Department does not? The recent discovery of new video released by CNN directly contradicts and exposes outright lies from our recent briefing last month from CENTCOM officials,” the Gold Star families said in a statement they sent to CNN. Haroon Sabawoon/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images/FileThe evidence also suggests the Pentagon may have more video footage than it has acknowledged in public.

Persons: Defense Lloyd Austin, Austin “, –, ”, Mike Waltz, Darrell Issa, Tim Burchett, Brian Mast, Rich McCormick, Keith Self, Cory Mills, Chris Smith –, Sayed Ahmadi, Ahmadi, “, ” James Adams, Hamid, Jared Schmitz, Humberto Sanchez, Taylor Hoover, Nicole Gee, Kareem Nikoui, Hunter Lopez, Rylee McCollum –, Biden, Erik Kurilla, CENTCOM, I’m, Haroon Sabawoon, Rob Lodewick, ” Lodewick Organizations: CNN —, Defense, CNN, Pentagon, House Foreign Affairs, Command, Marines, House Foreign Affairs Committee, Department, Gold Star, Department of Defense, Biden Administration, “, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Army, DoD, Service Locations: Kabul, Afghanistan, US

☆ It happened again: These 20 House members, mostly Republican, voted against millions in funding for their own districts
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-22 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

"Ultimately, I don't control what the final language of the total funding bill will be," said Higgins. Higgins voted against the bill, despite securing $2.3 million in federal funding for an emergency operations center at the port in Morgan City, Louisiana. He was one of 20 House members — 15 Republicans and 5 Democrats — who voted against Friday's government funding bill despite securing so-called "earmarks," known officially as congressionally directed spending. Related storiesThe other 30% was contained in a separate funding bill passed roughly two weeks ago, but that bill contained far more earmarks, especially for House members. Nonetheless, 42 House members who secured earmarks voted against it anyway, 40 of whom were Republicans.

Persons: —, Clay Higgins, couldn't, Higgins, congressionally, Pramila Jayapal, Mandel Ngan, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Mike Johnson, Pramila, Jayapal, Greene, Lauren Boebert, Brian Babin, Texas Gus Bilirakis, Florida John Curtis of, Florida John Curtis of Utah Mike Ezell, Mississippi Garrett Graves, Louisiana Michael Guest, Mississippi Diana Harshbarger, Tennessee Clay Higgins, Louisiana Trent Kelly, Mississippi Burgess Owens, Utah Mike Rogers, Alabama Chris Smith of, Alabama Chris Smith of New Jersey Greg Steube, Florida Jeff Van Drew, New Jersey Randy Weber of Organizations: Service, Louisiana Republican, Business, Pentagon, State Department, Department of Homeland Security, Democratic, Seattle Public Library, Getty, Republican, Republicans, GOP, Congressional Progressive Caucus, UN Relief and Works Agency, Louisiana, Alabama Chris Smith of New, New Locations: Louisiana, Morgan City , Louisiana, AFP, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Gaza, Washington, Colorado, Texas, Florida, Florida John Curtis of Utah, Mississippi, Utah, Alabama, Alabama Chris Smith of New Jersey, New Jersey, New Jersey Randy Weber of Texas

“This is the United States of America, and it is past time, in my opinion, that we start acting like it,” Ms. Britt said. “President Biden’s border policies are a disgrace.”As a rhetorical device, it would be hard conjure up a more powerful and resonant example. In a video released shortly after that trip, Ms. Britt discussed Ms. Jacinto’s experiences. “I thought it was very strange.”She said she preferred to keep politics out of the question of human trafficking. “The work I do is not a game.”A spokesman for Ms. Britt, Sean Ross, stood behind her speech.

Persons: Katie Britt, Donald J, Britt, Ms, George W, Bush, Biden, Biden didn’t, ”, “, Karla Jacinto Romero, Jacinto, Jonathan Katz, Sean Ross, Mr, Ross, Andrew Bates, Britt’s, Marsha Blackburn, Rosi Orozco, Blackburn, Karla, ” Andy McCullough, that’s, Pope Francis, Chris Smith of, McCullough Organizations: Republican, White, Times, Biden, U.S, Vatican Locations: Alabama, Montgomery , Ala, Biden’s, United States of America, Mexican, United States, Texas, Mexico, TikTok, U.S, Latin America, Eagle Pass , Texas, Tennessee, Chris Smith of New Jersey

“We have undeniable evidence of victory — lives being saved,” said John Seago, president of Texas Right to Life. For abortion-rights activists, Cox’s case was a powerful illustration of how abortion bans could be dangerous for women with pregnancy complications. Over and over, people talked about her with awe, her courage in going public.”Seago, the Texas Right to Life president, defended Texas’ abortion ban. Among leading anti-abortion activists, there’s a general consensus that women should not be prosecuted for seeking or obtaining an abortion. Conversely, some abortion opponents — including Chris Smith — fear a Democratic sweep might lead to a law overriding the state abortion bans that are now in effect.

Persons: “, ”, John Seago, Carol Tobias, Dobbs, ” Tobias, Court’s Dobbs, Roe, Wade, Brent Leatherwood, “ We’ve, –, Jeanne Mancini, Jean Marie Davis, Davis, Mike Johnson, Chris Smith, Mancini, J.J, There’s, Kate Cox, Cox, Nancy Northup, ” Seago, there’s, Jamila, “ I’m, ” Smith, Sen, Lindsay Graham, Katie Glenn Daniel Organizations: Democratic, Jackson, Health Organization, Republican, Southern Baptist, Pregnancy, U.S . Rep, Congressional, American Civil Liberties Union, Center for Reproductive Rights, Physicians, Reproductive, SBA Locations: Texas, Washington, U.S, Ohio , Kansas, Kentucky, California , New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Florida, New Mexico, Brattleboro , Vermont, New Hampshire, Idaho

☆ A critical climate goal may be ‘deader than a doornail,’ and scientists are bitterly divided over it
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

“Anybody who understands the physics knows that.”Hansen’s words have heft — he is widely credited as the first scientist to publicly sound the alarm on climate change in the 1980s. Climate change is fueling storms in both the summer and winter. The year came within a whisker of breaching 1.5 degrees, according to data from the Copernicus Climate Change Service. “For all practical purposes we are only going to be looking at 1.5 degrees in the rearview mirror,” he said. Why 1.5 mattersFew scientists will dispute that the world faces a daunting path to limit warming to 1.5 degrees.

Persons: James Hansen, Lauren Owens Lambert, I’ve, Jim, ”, Michael Mann, Hansen, Friederike Otto, “, it’s, Niño, Hurricane Idalia, Joe Raedle, ” Otto, –, Storm Daniel, Karim Sahib, Bill McGuire, ” McGuire, Chris Smith, El Niño, Mann, Samantha Burgess, Copernicus, Otto said, ’ ” Smith, “ we’ve, McGuire, Otto Organizations: CNN, Getty, University of Pennsylvania, Imperial College London’s Grantham Institute, “, United, Hurricane, University College London, University of Leeds Locations: Hampton , New Hampshire, AFP, United States, Europe, Tarpon Springs , Florida, Paris, Libya's, Derna, kilter

☆ Nasa astronomers says signal coming from outside our galaxy is 'unexpected and as yet unexplained'
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-14 | by ( Polly Thompson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

NASA scientists have found a powerful new gamma-ray signal coming from outside our galaxy. AdvertisementNASA astronomers have discovered an unexpected "signal" coming from outside our galaxy, which they can't explain. The scientists were analyzing 13 years of data from the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope when they noticed the mysterious signal. NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, illustrated here, scans the entire sky every three hours as it orbits Earth. NASA's unexpected discovery could help astronomers confirm or challenge ideas about how the dipole structure is created.

Persons: —, Francis Reddy, NASA's, Alexander Kashlinsky, Fermi, Chris Smith, Chris Shrader, Pierre Auger, Fernando Atrio Organizations: NASA, Service, Fermi, NASA's Goddard Space Flight, University of Maryland, American Astronomical Society, Goddard Locations: Argentina

☆ Worrying About Pandemics Is So 2020. Should It Be?
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Jon Sindreu | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The Covid-19 pandemic has widened differences between rich and developing countries. Photo: Johis Alarcon/Bloomberg NewsAmid all the concerns about inflation, interest rates and wars this year, at least investors haven’t needed to worry about pandemics. Exhibit one: The President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, is on shaky ground. This U.S. initiative, created by George W. Bush in 2003, claims to have saved the lives of about 25 million people around the world. This year, though, opposition led by Rep. Chris Smith—who claims PEPFAR has been hijacked to promote abortion—has foiled the effort.

Persons: Johis Alarcon, haven’t, George W, Bush, Chris Smith —, PEPFAR, — Organizations: Bloomberg, AIDS Relief, Rep Locations: U.S

The Singapore-based company has not determined the size of the deal or the valuation at IPO. The online fast-fashion retailer, which manufactures most of its merchandise in China, faces criticism that Uyghur forced labor is used to make its low-priced apparel and home goods. Earlier this year, the congresswoman led a bipartisan call for the SEC to halt Shein’s IPO until it verifies that the company does not use forced labor within its supply chain. Shein did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but the company has previously told Reuters it has “zero tolerance for forced labor” and has no contract manufacturers in Xinjiang. Shein's IPO is "going to be raising issues (for the SEC) that may later be applied across the board to all China-based or China-related companies that are going public," Penick said.

Persons: Chen Lin, Shein confidentially, Shein, Jennifer Wexton, Megan Penick, Robinson, Penick, Republican Sen, Marco Rubio, ”, Rubio, Chris Smith, Smith, ByteDance's TikTok, Group's, Katherine Masters, Arriana, Michael Martina, Marguerita Choy Organizations: REUTERS, Bloomberg, Beijing, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, SEC, Reuters, Reuters Graphics, Capitol Hill, Republican, Congressional, Commission, Oritain, U.S, Thomson Locations: Singapore, China, New York, U.S, Beijing, Washington, China's Xinjiang, Xinjiang, India

☆ Lawmakers Press Costco on China Forced Labor
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Richard Vanderford | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A campaign by U.S. lawmakers to single out companies allegedly tied to human rights abuses in China has come for popular retailer Costco. Photo: Kena Betancur/Getty ImagesCostco Wholesale faces questions from influential U.S. lawmakers over alleged links between forced labor in China and products sold in the retail giant’s stores. Costco should explain why it continues to sell seafood and security cameras that are allegedly tied to human rights abuses in China’s Xinjiang region and elsewhere, said Rep. Chris Smith (R., N.J.) and Sen. Jeffrey Merkley (D., Ore.) in a letter to Costco Chief Executive W. Craig Jelinek. Smith and Merkley head the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, a group of lawmakers and executive branch officials that monitors human rights developments in the country.

Persons: Kena, Chris Smith, Sen, Jeffrey Merkley, Craig Jelinek, Smith Organizations: U.S, Costco, Getty, Congressional, Commission Locations: China, China’s Xinjiang, N.J

☆ U.S. Lawmakers Point to Reports of Forced Labor in China’s Seafood Industry
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( Richard Vanderford | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Fish on display at a seafood market in China’s Shandong Province. Photo: Wang Haibin/Zuma PressU.S. lawmakers said the Biden administration should crack down on China’s use of forced labor in seafood production after an investigative journalism group found widespread transfers of laborers from the country’s Xinjiang region to processing facilities elsewhere in the country. The administration should block imports from seafood-processing facilities in China that run afoul of a U.S. law meant to target forced labor linked to Xinjiang, home to the country’s Uyghur people and other minority groups, said Rep. Chris Smith (R., N.J) and Sen. Jeff Merkley (D., Ore.) in a letter sent Tuesday to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas .

Persons: Wang Haibin, Biden, Chris Smith, Sen, Jeff Merkley, Alejandro Mayorkas Organizations: Zuma Press U.S, of Homeland Locations: Shandong Province, Xinjiang, China

WASHINGTON (AP) — As billions of dollars for a global HIV/AIDS program credited with saving millions of lives remains in limbo, the George W. Bush Institute is urging the U.S. Congress to keep money flowing for it. In a letter sent to Congress on Wednesday, the former Republican president's institute pleaded with Congress to keep funding the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR. PEPFAR is credited with saving 25 million lives in 55 countries, including 5.5 million infants born HIV-free. "The reauthorization is stalled because of questions about whether PEPFAR’s implementation under the current administration is sufficiently pro-life," Bush wrote. "But there is no program more pro-life than one that has saved more than 25 million lives."

Persons: George W, Republican president's, Chris Smith, PEPFAR, Smith, Bush Organizations: WASHINGTON, Bush, U.S, Congress, Republican, President’s, AIDS Relief, U.S . Rep, New, New Jersey Republican, Biden, AIDS, The Washington Post Locations: New Jersey, Africa, The Washington

The program, called the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief Program, or PEPFAR, started in 2003 by President George W. Bush. Congress missed the Sept. 30 deadline to renew funding for PEPFAR before it expired. The policy had not been included as a part of PEPFAR funding until 2017, when the Trump administration expanded the policy to include it as a part of the program. Advocates for PEPFAR contend the program does not directly or indirectly fund abortion services. For some countries, the health benefits of the PEPFAR program go beyond its mission of reducing the spread of AIDS.

Persons: George W, Joe Biden, PEPFAR, “, ”, Chris Smith, Biden, Ronald Reagan, Trump, Bush, George Ingram, Matthew Miller, ” Miller, reauthorization, Ingram, ” Ingram, Carlos del Rio Organizations: U.S, President’s, AIDS Relief, U.S . State Department, PEPFAR, Congress, House Republicans, Biden Administration, House Global Health, Senate, Senators, Republicans, Center for Sustainable Development, Brookings Institute, Kaiser Family Foundation, Program, Emory University School of Medicine, State, Committee, Infectious Diseases Society of America Locations: U.S, New Jersey, Mexico, Washington, Africa, China, Russia

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken delivers remarks on PEPFAR at World AIDS Day event hosted by the Business Council for International Understanding in Washington, U.S. December 2, 2022. A deadline to renew long-term funding for the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) passed on Saturday, despite a stop gap deal reached to avoid a government-wide shutdown. Smith insisted that PEPFAR should not be reauthorized unless it barred nongovernmental organizations that used any funding to promote or provide abortion services. Advocates say PEPFAR does not fund or provide abortion services and that none of its money goes directly or indirectly to fund abortion services. The State Department says more than $100 billion has been spent on the global HIV/AIDS response through the program, which has saved 25 million lives.

Persons: Antony Blinken, PEPFAR, Jonathan Ernst, Matthew Miller, Miller, Biden, George W, Bush, Chris Smith, Smith, Simon Lewis, Patricia Zengerle, Alistair Bell Organizations: Business Council, International, REUTERS, United, U.S, State, President’s, AIDS Relief, PEPFAR, Republican, The State Department, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, United States, Congress, U.S, Washington, Africa, PEPFAR

☆ GM reportedly slammed Ford over its plan to use Chinese battery technology in EVs
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( Hayley Peterson | Nora Naughton | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

General Motors and Ford appear to be feuding over the use of Chinese battery technology in electric cars. AdvertisementAdvertisementGeneral Motors and Ford appear to be at odds over the use of Chinese battery technology in electric cars. It's not clear yet whether that means Ford's use of Chinese battery tech will disqualify some of its cars. China at the bargaining tableFord halted construction on a new battery plant in Michigan this week as Republican lawmakers apply more scrutiny to the company's ties to a Chinese battery maker. When Ford announced the $3.5 billion EV battery plant earlier this year, the company said it would be contracting battery technology from China's Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd., or CATL.

Persons: —, Mary Barra, GM's, Jim Farley, Biden, what's, We're Ford, Chris Smith, Ford, GM didn't, T.R, Reid, Shawn Fain, Fain Organizations: Motors, Ford, GM, Service, Wall Street Journal, Ford Motor, EVs, Amperex Technology, . Ltd, Bloomberg, United Auto Workers, Detroit, UAW Locations: China, America, Michigan, Marshall , Michigan, Dearborn , Michigan

At the Nairobi orphanage, program manager Paul Mulongo has a message for Washington. Without that, the virus could come back, ”and about 20 million lives might be lost in the coming years,” he said. But Reach Out helps anyone who walks in needing HIV drugs, Kaleebi said. “Sometimes it’s so crazy when you hear people saying that these HIV drugs should be bought by the local government,” he said. Some are among the 1.4 million children and adults living with HIV in Kenya, according to UNAIDS.

Persons: George W, Bush, Paul Mulongo, “, Mulongo, ”, Tom Hart, PEPFAR, Biden, Chris Smith, Smith, ” Smith, John Nkengasong, we’ve, Josephine Kaleebi, ” Kaleebi, Kaleebi, Mark Dybul, Bernard Mwololo, David Shitika, “ Nobody, ” Shitika, ” ___ Amiri, Knickmeyer, Rodney Muhumuza Organizations: Republican U.S, President’s, AIDS Relief, Republicans, Democrats, ONE, Heritage Foundation, State Department, ” Conservatives, PEPFAR, Republican, Foreign, Associated Press, AP, Health Initiative, Uganda’s Catholic, AIDS, UNAIDS Locations: NAIROBI, Kenya, United States, Africa, Ukraine, Brazil, Indonesia, Nairobi, Washington, ”, Uganda, Kampala, Russia, China

Excerpts from recent editorials in the United States and abroad:Aug. 31The Washington Post on sexism in the U.S. militaryNearly eight years ago, the United States opened up all military combat roles to women, clearing a pathway for female service members to join the most elite military forces. Women at multiple military bases reported that other soldiers would bang on their doors in the middle of the night. Even a program that once represented the highest ideals of the United States — its compassion, its expertise and its resources — is becoming a casualty of the country’s most destructive and divisive forces. Lack of adequate cooling during hot summers has plagued Southern states for decades, but climate change has now made it a problem in Northern states as well — Michigan, Minnesota, South Dakota, Indiana. Ukraine received the first batch of uranium munitions from the United Kingdom in March to use in its UK-made Challenger 2 tanks.

Persons: Soldiers, “, ”, George W, Bush, Anthony Fauci, Mark Dybul, PEPFAR, Henry Hyde, Dave Weldon, H.I.V, Hyde, Weldon, Biden, MAGA, Biden’s, Mr, Chris Smith of, Smith, Roe, Wade, Tommy Tuberville, Susan B, Anthony Pro, ” Nyserda, Don’t, Louisianans, it’s, commissaries, Joe Arpaio, let’s, perceptibly Organizations: Washington, Green, Ranger Regiment, Green Berets, Army Rangers, Special Operations, Army Special Operations Command, Special Forces, Army, Command, New York Times, Democrats, Republicans, Catholic Church, Republican Party, AIDS Relief, Republican, Heritage Foundation, Biden, Mr, PEPFAR, America, Family Research, United, New York State Energy Research, Development Authority, Alliance, Clean Energy, Alliance for Clean Energy, Developers, Micron Technology, Los Angeles Times, Staff, Prisons, US State Department, US Locations: United States, U.S, Afghanistan, Africa, Illinois, Florida, Chris Smith of New Jersey, Alabama, New York, Ukraine, California , Connecticut, Hawaii , Indiana , Maine , Maryland , Massachusetts, Michigan , New Jersey, New Mexico, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Vermont, Louisiana, Angola, Texas, Southern, Michigan, Minnesota, South Dakota , Indiana, Maricopa County, Ariz, Los Angeles, California, Corcoran, Tulare Lake, China, Russia, United Kingdom, Moscow, Belarus, Washington, Europe, Asia, Brazil, Indonesia

☆ Some House Republicans want to hold up a major tax bill until it includes a big break for wealthy blue state residents
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Some House Republicans are pushing yet again to revisit the SALT deduction. That State and Local Tax deduction — known as SALT — has proven to be a bipartisan scourge, with Republicans and Democrats alike from impacted areas rallying to restore the tax break to a more generous level. "I remain adamantly opposed to the SALT cap," Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), who spoke out and voted against the legislation that created the SALT cap in 2017, told Insider in a statement. "I promised Long Islanders I would fight tooth and nail to restore our SALT deduction. He added: "There is bipartisan support for restoring the SALT deduction which will put direct pressure on Republican leadership to listen to the millions of struggling middle-class families and take action to restore SALT."

Persons: —, Donald Trump's, Chris Smith, Smith, Long, New York Republican Nick LaLota, Marc Goldwein, Goldwein, Joe Biden's, Howard Gleckman, Gleckman, Josh Gottheimer, Katie Porter, Andrew Garbarino, California's Young Kim, Gottheimer Organizations: Republicans, GOP, Service, Politico, Washington Post, Long Islanders, New York Republican, Federal Budget, Democrats, Center, Democratic, Tax Locations: Wall, Silicon, it's, New York , New Jersey, California, New Jersey, Washington, California , New York, New York, Katie Porter of California, Jersey

☆ Andrew Ridgeley on George Michael and Life After Wham!
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Erik Piepenburg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

If you weren’t a teenager in 1984, it might be hard to understand this, but here goes: There are Gen X-ers who remember where they were the first time they saw the video for the Wham! clap-along pop anthem “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go.”In it, George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley, the heartthrob frontmen of Wham!, wear big smiles and beachy short shorts as they perform their infectious bop — titled after a note Ridgeley had once left on his family’s refrigerator — for a small crowd of adoring fans. Ridgeley, who turned 60 in January, remembers making it as great fun. “It was our first video with an audience,” he said during a recent video interview from his home in London. “The atmosphere was really quite excitable and exciting.”Ridgeley and his bandmate are the subject of “Wham!,” a new documentary that premieres on Wednesday on Netflix.

Persons: George Michael, Andrew Ridgeley, beachy, Ridgeley, Crüe, ”, Chris Smith Organizations: Netflix Locations: London

☆ ‘Wham!’ Review: They Made It Big, Then Broke Up
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Wesley Morris | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The new documentary about George Michael, Andrew Ridgeley and the music they made as Wham! — it’s just called “Wham!” — found me in a moment of need for a nostalgic, fantastical elixir, something short, sweet and tangential to my feeling of national blues. For one thing, Wham!, the duo, made soul music that popped. And the movie dances past all of the thorny moral and ethical questions of white people making Black stuff. The disembodied voices of Michael and Ridgeley guide the whole thing — rumination and memory as narration.

Persons: George Michael, Andrew Ridgeley, —, George, Barry Manilow, Freddie Mercury, Billy Joel, Oates, Chris Smith, Michael’s, ”, Ridgeley’s misapprehended, “ Son, Albert, Michael, Ridgeley, Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou, Richard Simmons Organizations: BBC Locations: England, scrapbooks

☆ US lawmakers warn North Korean refugees face forcible repatriation from China
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, June 13 (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers warned on Tuesday that China could be preparing to forcibly repatriate refugees who fled North Korea and urged the United Nations to use its influence with Beijing to prevent this. He referred to reports that approximately 2,000 and "perhaps many more" North Korean refugees faced repatriation "which would subject them to severe human rights violations upon their return." The CECC co-chair, Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley, said a 2014 report by the U.N. commission on inquiry on human rights in North Korea had stated clearly that forcible repatriation of North Koreans "subjects them to crimes against humanity." "Just being a North Korean in China means an individual would be in grave peril if sent back to North Korea," he said. China's Washington embassy, UNHCR, and North Korea's U.N. mission did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Persons: Chris Smith, Smith, Antonio Guterres, General Guterres, Filippo Grandi, Elizabeth Salmon, Jeff Merkley, Merkley, U.N, Stephane Dujarric, Guterres, David Brunnstrom, Michelle Nichols, Don Durfee, Grant McCool Organizations: United, Congressional, Commission, U.N, United Nations, South Korea's Korea Times, Washington Post, Democratic, UNHCR, Thomson Locations: China, North Korea, United Nations, Beijing, Korean, South, North Koreans, Washington

☆ State Department amends comment on APEC invitation for Hong Kong's leader
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Michael Martina | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, June 13 (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department amended part of a statement to Congress in which it said Washington would invite Hong Kong's chief executive, who faces U.S. sanctions, to a November summit, after lawmakers urged he be barred from entering the country. The Unites States is set to host this year's gathering in San Francisco of leaders of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) group, of which Hong Kong is a member economy. But Hong Kong's top official John Lee was placed under U.S. sanctions in 2020 over his role in implementing what Washington deems a "draconian" Hong Kong national security law. The Department regrets the error," a State Department spokesperson said. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday confirmed it had received the corrected response, which said the U.S. "has not made any commitments regarding invitations."

Persons: Hong, John Lee, Lee, Wendy Sherman, Marco Rubio, Jeff Merkley, Jim McGovern, Chris Smith, Mr, Michael Martina, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: U.S . State Department, Economic Cooperation, Washington, Hong, Senate Foreign Relations, APEC, State Department, Foreign, Democratic, Republican, People's, China's, Thomson Locations: Washington, San Francisco, Asia, Hong Kong, U.S, People's Republic of China

☆ Bombing of herders highlights deadly air attacks by Nigerian military
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +19 min

The letter said the Nigerian Air Force is committed to human rights and “further deliberations” on the issue, according to the report. “The absence of details raises the question of whether the air force carried out the air strike based on mere suspicion,” Human Rights Watch said. The U.S. State Department and the Pentagon had no immediate comment about the airstrike or the U.S. relationship with the Nigerian Air Force. Before now, neither the Nigerian government nor the military had provided any public explanation for what happened on Jan. 24. ACLED data show Nigerian Air Force strikes continued to claim the lives of noncombatants, inside and outside the northeast.

Persons: Ibrahim Muazu, “, ACLED, D.D, Pwajok, ”, Sara Jacobs, herdsmen, Oladayo Amao, Amao, “ miscreants, Muhammadu Buhari, Bola Tinubu, Jan, Muazu, Lamido, Nigeria’s, Sanusi, Buhari, Rand Paul, Cory Booker, Rex Tillerson, Lai Mohammed, Jacobs, Jim Risch, Chris Smith, Antony Blinken, Biden, Risch, brazenly “, ” Abubakar Bello Rukubi, ” “, Yemi Osinbajo, cc’d, Samuel Ortom, herder, ” Muazu, Humeyra Pamuk, Daphne Psaledakis, Idrees Ali, Jarrett Renshaw, David Lewis, Reade Levinson, Simon Newman, Catherine Tai Design, Eve Watling, Julie Marquis, Alexandra Zavis Organizations: herder, Reuters, Air Force, Nigerian Air Force, Human Rights Watch, Air, Rights Watch, Ministry of Defence, Nigerian Air, House Foreign Affairs, ” Reuters, ACLED, Planet Labs PBC, U.S . State Department, Pentagon, ”, Muazu, Congress, San Frontieres, Republican, Punch, UK, Nigeria –, Systems, U.S, Super, International, Development, Rights Initiative, Benue State Livestock Guards, Human Rights, Daily Trust, Nigeria’s Locations: Nigerian, Nasarawa, Akwanaja, United States, U.S, Nigeria, California, Kano, Rann, Cameroonian, Zamfara, “, Benue, ” Benue, London, Makurdi, Naka, Washington, Philadelphia

“I hope the Republican Party can muster the courage to oppose late-term abortion like we have done in the past. But after the midterms produced a slimmer-than-expected majority, there now appears to be little appetite inside the House GOP for such a bill. Troy Nehls, a Republican from Texas, told CNN: “it’s up to the states,” when asked about a national ban. The National Right to Life Committee said it is in regular communication with House Republican leadership about possible legislative efforts and educational needs on the issue. “What we’re working on right now is primarily reacquainting members with the abortion issue after the Dobbs decision.

☆ Chris Smith: Former NFL defensive end dies aged 31
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Matt Foster | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Former NFL defensive end Chris Smith has died, his former agent said on Tuesday. Smith spent eight seasons in the NFL and played for seven franchises. Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire/Getty Images/FileThe Browns tweeted their condolences on Tuesday. “We are deeply saddened by the passing of former Browns DE Chris Smith,” the message reads. “Rest in paradise Chris Smith,” wrote Browns tight end David Njoku on Twitter.

☆ Exiled leader tells US Congress Tibet faces 'slow death' under China
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, March 28 (Reuters) - Tibet is dying a "slow death" under Chinese rule, the head of the India-based organization known as Tibet's government in-exile said on Tuesday in a first address to the U.S. Congress. The Sikyong role was created in 2012 after the Dalai Lama, Tibetans' 87-year-old spiritual leader, relinquished political authority in favor of an organization that could outlive him. China has ruled the remote western region of Tibet since 1951, after its military marched in and took control in what it calls a "peaceful liberation." Actor and long-time Tibet activist Richard Gere told the hearing that Chinese policies in Tibet increasingly "match the definition of crimes against humanity." Reporting by Michael Martina and David Brunnstrom; Editing by Leslie AdlerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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