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☆ A billionaire drug kingpin escaped justice by paying a bond set at just $53K and then running away
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( Thibault Spirlet | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Read previewA billionaire drug baron was arrested in Spain on money laundering charges but was released after paying a $53,000 bond, according to reports. AdvertisementThis followed a five-year investigation that police say showed the suspects had established a criminal organization involved in large-scale drug trafficking, including the smuggling of significant amounts of cocaine. Related storiesPolitico referred to Bouyakhrichan as a billionaire who possesses bank accounts and properties around the world. AdvertisementThe judge then imposed a €50,000 bond, roughly $53,000, took away Bouyakhrichan's passport, and ordered him to report to the authorities every fifteen days.

Persons: —, Felix Bolaños, Karim Bouyakhrichan, Bouyakhrichan, Vincent Veenman Organizations: Service, Business, Spain's National Police, BBC, Cadena SER Locations: Spain, Dutch, Moroccan, Netherlands, Belgium, South America, Europe, The Hague, Spanish

☆ Time’s 100 Most Influential People: Five icons you should know from the 2024 list
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Leah Asmelash | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

TIME released its list of the 100 Most Influential People for 2024 on Wednesday. The annual list, which asks cultural and political icons to highlight the changemakers of the past year, features dozens of athletes, entertainers, artists and politicians. Beninese music legend Angélique Kidjo wrote about Nigerian artist Burna Boy, who in turn wrote about rapper 21 Savage. Shawn Fain, UAW PresidentPresident Joe Biden wrote about Shawn Fain, president of the United Auto Workers, for TIME. Mohammed Abed/AFP/Getty ImagesAt just 25 years of age, Motaz Azaiza is the youngest person on this year’s TIME list.

Persons: Alex Rodriguez, Patrick Mahomes, Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph, Raquel Willis, Elliot Page, Angélique Kidjo, Burna Boy, Taraji P, Henson, Coleman Domingo, Shawn Fain, Joe Biden, Tom Williams, ” Fain, Biden, “, —, Fain, ” Biden, Motaz Azaiza, Yasmeen Serhan, Mohammed Abed, Azaiza, Instagram, ” Serhan, CNN —, ” Azaiza, ” Jenni Hermoso, Jenni Hermoso, Mana Shim, Fran Santiago, Luis Rubiales, Hermoso’s, Rubiales, Hermoso, “ Hermoso, ” Shim, Sakshi Malik, Nisha Pahuja, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, Manish Rajput, Malik, Singh, ” Malik, Bhushan Sharan Singh’s, ”, Yulia Navalnaya, Russia’s, Alexei Navalny, Kamala Harris, Monika Skolimowska, Alexey Navalny, Putin, “ Putin, Navalnaya, “ Navalnaya, ” Harris Organizations: CNN, TIME, United Auto Workers, UAW, Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, Getty, “, UEFA Women's Nations League, UEFA, Spanish Women’s National Team, FIFA, Wrestling Federation of India, India Today, Delhi Locations: Dua Lipa, Gaza, AFP, Palestinian, Spanish, American, Indian, Rio ., Europe, Berlin, Paris, Hague, ”, Russian, Russia

☆ Power Grids Are Obvious Military Targets. There’s a Way to Deter That. - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( Peter Fairley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

In late March, after two years of withering attacks on Ukraine, Russia knocked out half of Ukraine’s power supply. Up to that point, Russia’s missiles and kamikaze drones had mostly targeted the Ukrainian substations that push electricity from power plants to consumers. But the global community must now draw bright lines for combatants in future conflicts — and strengthen the hand of future prosecutors — by codifying specific protections for power grids. The international community already attempts to do that for select infrastructure, including hospitals, dams and nuclear power plants, via the Geneva Conventions. It’s time to add power grids to that privileged roster.

Persons: grinds, Viktor Nikolayevich Sokolov, Sergei Ivanovich Kobylash, — Organizations: Criminal Locations: Ukraine, Russia, The Hague, Russian, Geneva

Germany on Tuesday defended itself against accusations that its arms sales to Israel were abetting genocide in Gaza, arguing at the International Court of Justice that most of the equipment it has supplied since Oct. 7 was nonlethal and that it has also been one of the largest donors of humanitarian aid to the Palestinians. Debate over Israel’s war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip has been muted in Germany, whose leadership calls support for Israel a “Staatsräson,” a national reason for existence, and where people have historically been reluctant to question that support publicly. But the mounting death toll and humanitarian crisis in Gaza have led some German officials to ask whether that unwavering backing has gone too far. Lawyers for Germany said Tuesday that the allegations brought by Nicaragua had “no basis in fact or law” and rested on an assessment of military conduct by Israel, which is not a party to the case. Tania von Uslar-Gleichen, an official at Germany’s Foreign Ministry and lead counsel in the case, told the 15-judge bench that Nicaragua had “rushed this case to court on the basis of the flimsiest evidence.”

Persons: ”, Tania von Uslar, “ Organizations: International Court of Justice, Hamas, Israel, Lawyers, Germany’s Foreign Ministry Locations: Germany, Israel, Gaza, The Hague, Nicaragua, ”

☆ At U.N. Court, Germany Fights Allegations of Aiding Genocide
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-09 | by ( Marlise Simons | Erika Solomon | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Germany on Tuesday began defending itself at the International Court of Justice against allegations that it is furthering genocide in Gaza by supplying arms to Israel. Nicaragua brought the case against Germany to the court in The Hague. Berlin has denied violating the Genocide Convention or international humanitarian law, and sent a delegation of international lawyers, including some from Britain and Italy, to the U.N. court. Germany is Israel’s second-largest arms supplier after the United States and a nation whose leadership calls support for the country a “Staatsräson,” a national reason for existence, as a way of atoning for the Holocaust. But the mounting death toll in Gaza and humanitarian crisis in the enclave have led some German officials to ask whether that backing has gone too far.

Organizations: Tuesday, International Court of, Convention Locations: Germany, Gaza, Israel, Nicaragua, The Hague, Berlin, Britain, Italy, United States, ”, atoning

☆ Germany defends support for Israel in international court against accusations of ‘facilitating genocide’ in Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-09 | by ( Nadine Schmidt | Niamh Kennedy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Berlin CNN —Germany has hit back at allegations by Nicaragua that it has been “facilitating genocide” in Gaza, telling an international court on Tuesday that history undergirds German support for Israel. But Germany argued Tuesday that because the “bedrock” of Nicaragua’s case was aimed at Israel and its “alleged violations of international law by Israel,” the ICJ did not have jurisdiction. British lawyer Samuel Wordsworth, who advocated on behalf of Berlin, said the case against Germany is “entirely dependent” upon a “prior finding of breach” of international law by Israel in Gaza. The ICJ is hearing a separate case brought against Israel by South Africa, but has not ruled on whether Israel has breached international law in Gaza. The international court will now consider whether to order the emergency measures requested by Nicaragua.

Persons: Germany’s, Tania von Uslar, Gleichen, Berlin “, “, ’, Von Uslar, ”, ” von Uslar, Netherlands Carlos Jose Arguello Gomez, Alain, Samuel Wordsworth, Israel, Israel –, Christian Tams Organizations: Berlin CNN —, Israel, International Court of Justice, UN, German, Office, ICJ, Nicaraguan, UNRWA Locations: Berlin CNN — Germany, Nicaragua, Gaza, The Hague, Germany, Israel, Nazi, Netherlands, French, Berlin, South Africa

☆ Ecuadorians wanted an action man. President Noboa has fulfilled that role — embassy raid included
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-09 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

The President of the Republic of Ecuador, Daniel Noboa, during the Spain-Ecuador business meeting at the headquarters of the CEOE, on 25 January, 2024 in Madrid, Spain. "President Noboa has given a strong message to the nation," said Carlos Galecio, a political communications consultant and coordinator of the communications program at Ecuador's Casa Grande University. "I am in favor of President Noboa's actions. "The priority is to clean, sanitize, continue with a process as important as President Noboa's to put the house in order." "The United States takes very seriously the obligation of host countries under international law to respect diplomatic missions," said Brian Nichols, assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs.

Persons: Daniel Noboa, Daniel Noboa's, Ecuadorians, Noboa, Carlos Galecio, Rafael Correa, Nayib Bukele, Cedatos, Jorge Glas, Glas, Noboa's, Gabriela Sandoval, Roberto Aspiazu, Will Freeman, Freeman, Brian Nichols Organizations: Ecuadorian, Associated Press, Casa Grande University, Statistics, Police, Vienna Convention, America's Pacific Alliance, Foreign Relations, Mexico's, Jalisco New Generation, United, Western Hemisphere Locations: Republic of Ecuador, Spain, Ecuador, Madrid, Belgium, El Salvador, Quito, Vienna, Mexico, The Hague, Noboa, York, Latin America, Colombia, Peru, Mexico's Sinaloa, Jalisco, U.S, United States

☆ Middle East Crisis C.I.A. Director Is Heading to Cease-Fire Talks as Pressure Grows on Israel
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-05 | by ( Julian E. Barnes | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

During the call, Mr. Biden threatened to condition future support for Israel on how it addresses his concerns about civilian casualties and the humanitarian situation in Gaza. The Israeli statement did not give a timing for when the crossing would be reopened. Mr. Biden has grown increasingly critical of Israel’s approach to the war against Hamas in Gaza, saying that more must be done to protect civilians. Image Palestinians gathering to receive food in the town of Jabaliya in northern Gaza last month. Israel has rejected accusations that it is responsible for delays in the delivery of aid.

Persons: Israel, Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Jordan — “, Erez, Adrienne Watson, “, ”, Netanyahu, —, Ms, Watson, Mahmoud Issa, Kerem, Lloyd J, Austin III, Patrick Kingsley Organizations: Israel, National Security Council, United, Defense, Pentagon, International Court of Justice Locations: Gaza, Ashdod, Israel, United Nations, “, Jabaliya, Kerem Shalom, Rafah, The Hague

☆ Russia's former president is calling for a 'maximum reward' bounty to be put on the heads of any NATO troops sent to Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-05 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Read previewFormer Russian President Dmitry Medvedev launched a scathing verbal attack against the North Atlantic Treaty Organization on Thursday, calling for a bounty on any Western troops that may enter Ukraine. The Russian official said any NATO forces in Ukraine would be considered part of the "regular forces" fighting against Moscow. Key to that rhetoric has been Russia amplifying the idea that NATO may escalate tensions by sending troops to Ukraine. Advertisement"We don't have any plans of having any NATO combat troops inside Ukraine," NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters on Wednesday. AdvertisementOn March 8, Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski said that NATO troops were "already present in Ukraine" but did not say how many were deployed or for what purpose.

Persons: —, Dmitry Medvedev, Medvedev, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Mikhail Svetlov, Emmanuel Macron —, Jens Stoltenberg, Radek Sikorski, Sikorski, Maria Zakharova, shouldn't, Sinead Baker, Tony Soprano's, Edward Lucas Organizations: Service, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Russia's Security, Business, NATO, Moscow, Hitler's, Kremlin, Nazi, Russian, Hague, Security, Pentagon, Polish, Center for Locations: Ukraine, Western Ukraine, Moscow, Soviet, Nazi Germany, Nazi, Russia, Russian, Kyiv, France

☆ Truce Talks Expected to Resume in Egypt
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-31 | by ( The New York Times | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

Israel has rejected accusations that it is responsible for delays in delivering aid, and it did so again this week. The amount of aid reaching Gaza has fallen sharply since the start of Israel’s war with Hamas. “It’s not just about the number of trucks coming in the border,” Mr. Lockyear said in an interview on Saturday. This week, Mr. Lockyear said, an M.S.F. “These items, which were formerly approved to go in, we have got them into Gaza previously,” Mr. Lockyear said.

Persons: Christopher Lockyear, Israel, It’s, Mr, Lockyear, “, ”, al Balah, Deir al Balah, Tedros Adhanom Organizations: International Court of Justice, Hamas, United Nations ’, Foreign, United Nations, World Health Organization Locations: Gaza, Hague, Israel, Gaza — Israel, Rafah, Al Aqsa, Deir al, “

☆ U.N. Peacekeepers Injured in Lebanon Blast as Tensions Rise
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-30 | by ( Aaron Boxerman | Euan Ward | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

The Israeli authorities have denied blocking UNRWA, but Israel and the aid agency have been locked in a dispute over not only responsibility for the crisis, but also the status of UNRWA itself. UNRWA suspended the staff members and opened an investigation, but some of its biggest donors have since suspended funding. U.N. officials and international aid groups have reported severe and deadly malnutrition in Gaza and have blamed Israel, which inspects every truckload aid. In some cases, crowds of people have swarmed the trucks, stripping them of supplies. The World Food Program said that only 11 of its convoys carrying food had reached the north since the start of the year.

Persons: Philippe Lazzarini, Israel, Lazzarini, Benjamin Netanyahu, Mr, Natalia Kanem, “ Organizations: Nations, International Court of Justice, United Nations, UNRWA, “, Food Program Locations: Israel, Gaza, The Hague

☆ Middle East Crisis Top U.N. Court Orders Israel to Allow ‘Unhindered’ Aid Into Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-29 | by ( Anushka Patil | Marlise Simons | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +6 min

In an interim ruling on Jan. 26, the court ordered Israel to ensure that more aid would be allowed into Gaza. Since then, the “catastrophic living conditions of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have deteriorated further,” necessitating further measures, the court said on Thursday. The ruling touches on some issues that leading aid organizations have called Israeli impediments contributing to the risk of famine in Gaza. Palestinians, U.N. officials and aid workers have voiced concerns about diseases spreading, hospitals collapsing and children beginning to starve to death. But, she wrote, the court “can at least mitigate” the risk to Palestinians by directing the parties before it: South Africa and Israel.

Persons: Israel, “, Aharon Barak, Abdulqawi Yusuf, ”, Nawaf Salam, ” Hilary Charlesworth, Johnatan Reiss, Victoria Kim Organizations: International Court of Justice, United Nations, South, United Nations ’, ” Locations: The Hague, Gaza, Israel, South Africa, Africa, Somalia

☆ Xi tells Dutch prime minister: No force can stop China’s tech advance
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( Sheila Chiang | In Sheilachiang | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

THE HAGUE, NETHERLANDS - MARCH 23:Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte meets with the President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping at the Catshuis March 23, 2014 in The Hague, Netherlands. (Photo by Valerie Kuypers-Pool/Getty ImagesChina's technological progress cannot be stopped, Chinese President Xi Jinping told Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte when they met in Beijing Wednesday for talks on areas such as the critical semiconductor industry. "The Chinese people also have legitimate development rights, and no force can stop the pace of China's scientific and technological progress," said Xi, according to Xinhua News Agency. Such EUV lithography machines are crucial for chip manufacturing and are used by companies like Taiwan's TSMC to make the smallest and most sophisticated chips. In January, the Netherlands barred ASML from exporting some of its deep ultraviolet lithography systems to China, which are used to make slightly less advanced chips.

Persons: Mark Rutte, Valerie Kuypers, Xi Jinping, Xi Organizations: Dutch, People's Republic of China Xi, Xinhua News Agency, U.S Locations: HAGUE, NETHERLANDS, People's Republic of China, The Hague, Netherlands, Beijing, China

☆ Billionaires going to space aim to industrialize the moon, asteroids, and Mars. It's time to set some ground rules.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-23 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Read previewThe space business is in bloom and, so far, it's largely unregulated. Other space startups have ambitions including asteroid mining, in vitro fertilization (IVF) in space, and space hotels. As space startups and billionaires vie for a foothold on the moon and beyond, experts say governments probably need to start setting some ground rules. Seven of the world's 10 biggest commercial space operators are based in the US, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. AdvertisementIn another vein, last year Florida passed a bill to protect space companies and their owners from getting sued over spaceflight passenger death or injury.

Persons: —, Jeff Bezos's, Elon Musk, Bezos, NASA What's, George Nield, Galileo, Joel Kearns, Richard Branson, Galactic's, Lyndon B, Johnson, Jeff Bezos, Joe Raedle, Michelle Hanlon, Jared Isaacman, William Shatner, Hanlon Organizations: Service, NASA, Houston, SpaceX, Business, Northeastern University, Federal Aviation Administration's, Space Transportation, JPL, FAA, Virgin Galactic, Virgin, Getty, Artemis Accords, Hague Institute, Global Justice, Washington, Companies, Shepard, Center for Air, Space, University of Mississippi School of Law, titans, US International Trade Commission, Organisation for Economic Co, Federal Communications Locations: Mars, Russia, China, Blue, Florida

☆ Ukraine's Patriot kills of Russian planes and missiles have turned a US air-defense weapon with a troubled past into a hero
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-23 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +16 min

Ukraine's use of the US-made Patriot system has been celebrated. A mixed pastThe MIM-104 Patriot missile system is a ground-based, mobile surface-to-air missile battery that can down crewed and uncrewed aircraft, cruise missiles, and short-range and tactical ballistic missiles. AdvertisementNone of Ukraine's Patriot missile systems have been confirmed destroyed, though there have been Russian claims, but the system has been involved in confirmed kills of Russian aircraft and missiles. "We were again, very much surprised by what we see now, what the effectiveness of the Patriot system seems to be," he said. The problem with Patriot missiles for Ukraine mirrors its main obstacle in trying to fight Russia: A critical shortage of supplies and ammunition.

Persons: —, Frederik Mertens, Justin Bronk, Mertens, Joe Raedle, Bronk, Timothy Wright, Nathan White, Mick Ryan, Gilles BASSIGNAC, Houthi, Wright, Jeffrey Lewis, Tom Karako, ANDREW CABALLERO, REYNOLDS, Ryan, Karako, it's, BI's Jake Epstein, Rajan Menon, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukraine Bronk, Jan Kallberg, Ukraine Oleksandr Gusev Organizations: Service, Patriots, Patriot, U.S . Army Security, Hague, Strategic Studies, Royal United Services Institute, Iraq's, US Army, Raytheon, Iraqi, International Institute for Strategic Studies, Australian Army, Getty Images, Middlebury Institute of International Studies, Missile Defense, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Airforce, Getty, Defense, NATO, Emergency Service, Centre for, Kyiv, Pentagon Locations: Ukraine, Russia, United States, Iraq, Iraqi, Saudi Arabia, Getty Images Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Monterey, Prince, Al, Kyiv, Russian, UAE

☆ Putin seen winning an expected landslide 88% of Russian election vote
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-17 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

President Vladimir Putin won a record post-Soviet landslide in Russia's election on Sunday, cementing his grip on power. The election comes just over two years since Putin triggered the deadliest European conflict since World War Two by ordering the invasion of Ukraine. War has hung over the three-day election: Ukraine has repeatedly attacked oil refineries in Russia, shelled Russian regions, and sought to pierce Russian borders with proxy forces - a move Putin said would not be left unpunished. As noon arrived across Asia and Europe, hundreds of people gathered at polling stations at Russian diplomatic missions. Putin says the West is engaged in a hybrid war against Russia and that Western intelligence and Ukraine are trying to disrupt the elections.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, Josef Stalin, Putin's, Alexei Navalny, Yulia, Ruslan Shaveddinov, Leonid Volkov, Navalny, Joe Biden, Nikolas Gvosdev, Biden, Donald Trump, William Burns, China Organizations: Soviet, Research, National Security, KGB, Corruption, Criminal Court, Hague, Kremlin, Research Institute, Trump's Republican, Kyiv, CIA Locations: United States, Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, St Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Asia, Europe, Russian, Berlin, Vilnius, West, Philadelphia, Congress, Ukrainian, Crimea, Kyiv

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — French defense industry heavyweight Naval Group has been chosen to build four new diesel-electric submarines for the Dutch navy, the government announced Friday, in a provisional deal to replace three ageing Walrus Class subs. The Dutch government did not immediately announce the price tag for the new submarines. “Our shipyards can build excellent surface ships themselves, but unfortunately we have not had any Dutch navy yards that can design and build submarines themselves for more than 25 years," Economic Affairs Minister Micky Adriaansens said in a statement. Instead, Australia had struck a deal with the United States and Britain to provide submarines powered with U.S. nuclear technology, which French leaders said was sealed behind their backs. In a move to heal relations with France, Canberra later agreed to pay Naval Group a 555-million-euro settlement for breaking the contract.

Persons: “, Micky Adriaansens Organizations: Naval, Walrus, Ministry of Defense, Barracuda, ” Naval, Saab, Economic, ”, French Locations: HAGUE, Netherlands, ThyssenKrupp, Germany, French, Australia, United States, Britain, France, Canberra

☆ ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’: Climate activists who targeted famous Vermeer painting win court appeal against jail sentence
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( Catherine Nicholls | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Johannes Vermeer's painting "Girl with a Pearl Earring" was targeted by climate activists in October 2022. Given the length of time that the demonstrators spent in pre-trial detention, the court said, a prison sentence would have been excessive. To punish these activists severely might have a “chilling effect” on others, the court said in a media statement. Just Stop Oil Belgium is not affiliated with its British namesake, environmental activist group Just Stop Oil. CNN was unable to contact the Belgian organization directly but has reached out to Extinction Rebellion Belgium for comment, as it has previously issued statements on behalf of Just Stop Oil Belgium.

Persons: Johannes Vermeer’s, Johannes Vermeer's, Lex Van Lieshout Organizations: CNN, Getty, Netherlands Public, Service, Hague, Appeal Locations: Belgian, Belgium, The Hague, Netherlands

☆ Israeli President Herzog opens Holocaust museum in Amsterdam amid domestic protest
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-10 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Reuters —Israeli President Isaac Herzog attended the opening of the National Holocaust Museum in Amsterdam on Sunday amid pro-Palestinian protests demanding an immediate ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza. Human rights group Amnesty International put up detour signs around the museum to direct Herzog to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague. Demonstrators protest against Israel's President Isaac Herzog attending the opening of the new National Holocaust Museum. Peter Djeong/APPeople protested with signs and Palestinian flags near the museum. The museum told media that it had invited Herzog before the Hamas attack and Israel’s subsequent offensive in Gaza.

Persons: Isaac Herzog, “, Herzog, Peter Djeong, Mouneb, Erev, Herzog’s, ”, Israel, ” Herzog Organizations: Reuters, National Holocaust Museum, ” Health, Hamas, Amnesty, International Court of Justice, AP, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Palestinian Community, Socialists International, Court of, Israel, Labor Locations: Amsterdam, Israel, Gaza, The Hague, South Africa, Nazi Germany

☆ South China Sea: On board an outnumbered Philippine ship facing down Chinese aggression
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Rebecca Wright | Ivan Watson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

Near Second Thomas Shoal, South China Sea CNN —As dawn slowly broke on the horizon, a large fleet of Chinese vessels came into view from the deck of a Philippine Coast Guard ship as it entered the contested waters of the South China Sea. Filipino soldiers on the dilapidated Sierra Madre ship, anchored near the Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea, on May 11, 2015. The US military also maintains a regular presence in the South China Sea, with aircraft overflights, so-called “freedom of navigation” operations, and patrols and exercises with allies and partners to assert that the South China Sea is an international waterway. The Philippine Coast Guard said it counted five China Coast Guard vessels and 18 boats belonging to Beijing’s “maritime militia." Rebecca Wright/CNNTarriela, the Coast Guard spokesperson, said a China Coast Guard vessel had come within 20 yards (60 feet) of the Cabra.

Persons: David, Goliath, “, ”, Thomas Shoal, Rebecca Wright, Sabina, Ritchie, Jiao, –, Jay Tarriela, Mao Ning, China Coast Guard “, Thomas, Ferdinand “ Bongbong ” Marcos Jr, Rodrigo Duterte, Marcos Jr, Jose Manuel Romualdez, CNN Tarriela, Tomas Etzler, Erik de Castro, month’s, ” Tarriela, ‘, Collin Koh, ” Koh, Ray Powell, SeaLight, “ Will, ” Powell, we’ve Organizations: South China, CNN, Philippine Coast Guard, Philippine, Armed Forces, China Coast Guard, ” CNN, Philippine Navy, Coast Guard, Foreign Ministry, Sierra Madre, Center for Strategic, Studies, China Power, Ministry, Washington, Philippine News Agency . Diplomacy, Coast Guardians, Guard, Madre, Reuters, USS, China, Rajaratnam, of International Studies, National Security, Stanford University Locations: South, South China, Philippines, United States, Philippine, China, Bulilyan, Palawan, Sierra Madre, Sierra, The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Taiwan, Madre, Hague, Beijing, China’s, Manila, Shanghai, Singapore

☆ China says military spending growth in 2024 to stay the same as last year at 7.2%
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-05 | by ( Clement Tan | In Clemtan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

This year's military budget announcement comes against the backdrop of several generals from the People's Liberation Army, including the country's previous Defense Minister Li Shangfu, losing their positions amid President Xi Jinping's broad anti-corruption probe in the past year. China's 2024 military budget expansion follows a 7.2% increase last year, a 7.1% spike in 2022, 6.8% increase in 2021, 6.6% climb in 2020 and 7.5% growth in 2019, according to official data. China's official military budget is second only to the United States in the world, though some unofficial estimates suggest the scale of Beijing's military spending may be larger than officially claimed. China maintains its claims over self-governed Taiwan and President Xi Jinping regards reunification as a "historical inevitability." Beijing has also taken offence at joint exercises and patrols that U.S. and other Western naval powers have conducted with various Asian nations in international waters that Beijing claims as its own.

Persons: Li Shangfu, Xi, Xi Jinping, — Organizations: Reuters, People's Liberation Army Locations: China, Beijing, United States, Taiwan, The Hague, South China, India, South

☆ ICC accuses two high-ranking Russians of war crimes in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-05 | by ( Rob Picheta | Sugam Pokharel | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants against two high-ranking Russian military figures, accusing them of war crimes against Ukrainian civilians. The ICC said they are responsible for war crimes of directing attacks at civilians, causing excessive harm to civilians and the crime against humanity of inhumane acts. “International justice requires time, but it is unavoidable.”Sokolov has been Russia’s commander for its Crimea-based Black Sea fleet since August 2022. The Kremlin has always dismissed accusations of war crimes. The court, which has 18 judges serving nine-year terms, tries four types of crimes: genocide, crimes against humanity, crimes of aggression and war crimes.

Persons: Sergei Kobylash, Viktor Sokolov, Vladimir Putin, Maria Lvova, Volodymyr Zelensky, ”, ” Sokolov, China – Organizations: CNN, Criminal Court, ICC, Russian Armed Forces, Russian Navy, “, United Nations Locations: Russian, The Hague, Netherlands, Moscow, Ukraine, Russia, Crimea, American, Virginia, China, Rome, “

☆ Why Australia keeps an arm’s length from South China Sea tensions, even as it draws closer with the Philippines
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-04 | by ( Kathleen Magramo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —When Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. addressed the Australian Parliament last week there was no mistaking the fighting talk. The Philippines accused China's coast guard of setting up the barrier at the mouth of the disputed fishing ground. That meeting will also be attended by several other nations with territorial disagreements with China – including Vietnam, Brunei and Malaysia. Collin Koh, research fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, said Australia was unlikely to back any tough language at the summit pertaining to the South China Sea or any other hot-button issue. As Bisley put it, “We don’t like what China does, but we’re not going to put ourselves in harm’s way.”

Persons: Ferdinand Marcos Jr, ”, Marcos, Rodrigo Duterte, –, Thomas Shoal, David, China’s, Marcos ’, China –, Scott Morrison, Collin Koh, Penny Wong annouced, Anthony Albanese, Albanese, Lukas Coch, Susannah Patton, it’s, ” Patton, China’s aggressions, Wang Wenbin, Nick Bisley, Bisley, we’re Organizations: CNN, Maxar, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, ASEAN, China, Rajaratnam, of International Studies, Australia, Australian, Partners, Reuters, South China, Southeast Asia, Lowy Institute, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, La Trobe University Locations: Philippines, China, South China, Manila, China’s, Philippine, Scarborough, Scarborough Shoal, Hague, United States, Canberra, Australia, Melbourne, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia, Beijing, Singapore, South, Penny Wong annouced Canberra, Southeast Asia, Japan, India

☆ Satellite images reveal floating barrier at mouth of disputed atoll in South China Sea
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Satellite images of the hotly disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea show a new floating barrier across its entrance, near where Philippine ships and China coast guard vessels have had frequent run-ins. China claims the Scarborough Shoal, although it is inside the Philippines' 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone. An international arbitration tribunal in the Hague said in 2016 that China's claims had no legal basis — a decision Beijing has rejected. That makes the atoll one of Asia's most contested maritime features and a flashpoint for diplomatic flare-ups over sovereignty and fishing rights. The satellite image bolsters a report and video distributed by the Philippine Coast Guard, or PCG, on Sunday showing two Chinese coast guard inflatable boats deploying floating barriers at the shoal's entrance on Feb 22.

Persons: BRP Datu Tamblot, Hague, China's Organizations: Philippine Bureau of Fisheries, Aquatic Resources, BRP Datu, Maxar Technologies, Reuters, Fisheries, Philippine Coast Guard Locations: China, Scarborough, South China, South, Philippine, Philippines, Beijing

The United Nations’ top court on Monday was hearing a final day of arguments on the legality of Israel’s decades-long occupation of Palestinian territories, hearings that have added pressure to Israel at a time when attention focuses on the war in Gaza. The hearings, which began last Monday, are the first time that the court, the International Court of Justice, has been asked to give an advisory opinion on the issue, which has been the subject of years of debates and resolutions at the United Nations. The court is likely to take months before issuing an opinion. The representatives, including a team of prominent lawyers, said that Israel has abused Palestinian rights with impunity. The Palestinian Authority’s foreign minister, Riyad al-Maliki, said that Israel had subjected Palestinians to decades of discrimination, leaving them with the choice of “displacement, subjugation or death.”

Persons: Israel, Riyad al, ” Organizations: United Nations ’, International Court of Justice, United Nations, West Bank Locations: Israel, Gaza, The Hague, East Jerusalem, Palestinian

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