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☆ US lawmakers vow to bolster Taiwan’s defense with bipartisan visit days after China’s ‘punishment’ military drills
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-27 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —US lawmakers vowed to bolster Taiwan’s deterrence against China on Monday during a bipartisan congressional visit to the self-governing democracy just days after Beijing surrounded the island with massive military exercises. US Representative Michael McCaul, Republican-Texas, has vowed to bolster Taiwan's deterrence against China. China’s military drills, he said, were “to express their displeasure with President Lai, a president democratically elected by the people of Taiwan.”But he added they had another objective. The delegation also met with Lai, Taiwan’s new leader, on Monday morning. China responded with a show of military force and later imposed sanctions on McCaul.

Persons: Lai Ching, Michael McCaul, ”, McCaul, Lai, ” McCaul, China’s, Xi Jinping, Xi, “, Mao Ning, Michael Brochstein, Lin Chia, ” “ It’s, ” Lin, Taiwan’s, “ Taiwan’s, ” Lai, Ronald Reagan’s, Tsai Ing, Nancy Pelosi’s Organizations: CNN, China, House Foreign Affairs Committee, Taiwan, US, Party, Republican, Ministry, Taiwan’s Locations: Beijing, China, Taiwan, Taipei, Ukraine, Taiwan Strait, Texas, United States, America, People’s Republic of China

☆ Opinion: Alito’s second red flag
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-26 | by ( Kirsi Goldynia | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +18 min

This is not the first time Alito has found himself in hot water over displaying a controversial flag on his property. The upside-down flag, a signal of distress, was adopted by Trump supporters who believed the false claim that the election had been stolen. (Alito said his wife had raised the upside-down flag in response to a disagreement with a neighbor. The discovery also comes at a time when the Supreme Court will be making a decision about Trump’s claims of sweeping presidential immunity, his get-out-of-jail-free card for the federal cases he faces. “The notion that the Supreme Court can be trusted to be an arbiter above partisan politics has suffered major blows in recent years.

Persons: ”, Scott Peck, Samuel Alito, “, Alito, Joe Biden’s, Trump, Julian Zelizer, Walt Handelsman, Michael J, Broyde, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Donald Trump, ‘, ’, ” Nikki Haley’s, Nikki Haley’s, Nikki Haley, Haley, Nancy Pelosi, She’s, Joe Biden ‘, I’ve, ” Clay Jones, Drew Sheneman, Judge Juan Merchan, Robert Costello, Michael Cohen, Norm Eisen, Costello, ’ Merchan, cautioning, …, Eisen, Sunak, Rishi Sunak, Henry Nicholls, Holly Thomas, Sunak —, Thomas, Joel Pett, Adolf Hitler, Ruth Ben, Hitler, Benito Mussolini, Said Ben, Anna Sauerbrey, Sauerbrey, Biden, America —, Richard Curtis ’, Julia Roberts, Hugh Grant, Laura Beers, it’s, —, Ebrahim Raisi, Frida Ghitis, Ali Khamenei, Peter Kuper, Cagle, “ I’m, What’s, Benjamin Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant, Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Diab Ibrahim al, Masri, Ismail Haniyeh, Peter Bergen, ” Netanyahu, Israel’s, Netanyahu, Kerri Kennedy, Biden “, Israel, ” Don’t, Agency Carrie Sheffield, Noah Berlatsky, Singleton, Biden’s Morehouse, Jill Filipovic, Diddy, Cassie Ventura, Catherine Tan, Shanahan, Brian Castrucci, Frank Luntz, Mark Zandi, Trump Will Cathcart, Joyce M, Davis, Bill Maher, Jimmy Kimmel, Randy Holmes, Bill, ” Nicole Hemmer, Said Will, Maher, Hemmer, ” “ Maher, It’s Organizations: CNN, New York Times, Agency, Trump, South Carolina Gov, Republican, NHS, Labour, Tory, Social, Italiana, European Union, ”, Islamic, Education, Workforce, Harvard, University of California, Columbia University, Columbia, Criminal Court, ICC, Israeli, International Court of Justice, United Nations Security, American Friends Service Committee, RFK, Disney, Entertainment, Democrats Locations: Alito’s Virginia, New Zealand, AFP, ”, England, Trump’s America, America, Italian, Germany, Poland, France, Berlin, Hill, American, British, London, Notting Hill, Iran, Republic of Iran, Islamic Republic, University of California Los Angeles, Gaza, United Kingdom, Rafah, Georgia’s, Moscow, Africa

☆ Opinion | Do Not Allow Putin to Capture Another Pawn in Europe
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-26 | by ( Serge Schmemann | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The law has drawn stiff rebukes from the United States and Europe. The State Department has announced visa restrictions on officials behind the foreign-agent law and Congress has threatened further sanctions. The clash over the foreign-agent law in a small country nestled in the Caucasus Mountains has been largely overshadowed by Russia’s war on Ukraine. Georgia, in fact, was the first neighboring country invaded by Russia post-Soviet Union, in 2008, to block its westward drift. Now the ruling party, Georgian Dream, seems to share Russia’s goal, though it has generally avoided openly siding with Russia.

Persons: Vladimir Putin’s, oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili —, Russia —, Ivanishvili Organizations: Russian, The State Department, European Union Locations: Republic of Georgia, Vladimir Putin’s Russia, United States, Europe, Ukraine, Georgia, Russia, Soviet Union, Georgian, Tbilisi, ”

☆ ‘Passion, performance, poison’: Why this Scottish soccer league is struggling to shake off the specter of religious bigotry
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-25 | by ( Amy Woodyatt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

Police Scotland told CNN it had received no reports regarding fans’ behavior towards Boyle. Paul Devlin/SNS Group/Getty Images“It was a historic problem born of the Catholic-Protestant divide in Scottish society, especially in the West of Scotland. And it became greatly manifest in football,” Scottish sports journalist Graham Spiers told CNN. Historically chants have included anti-Catholic religious bigotry, or vocal support for paramilitary groups like the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF). Celtic and Rangers fans at the start of the Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and Rangers at Celtic Park on September 10, 2016 in Glasgow.

Persons: Martin Boyle, Boyle, ” David Scott, –, ”, Hibernian's Martin Boyle, John Souttar, Paul Devlin, Graham Spiers, It’s, ” Spiers, Spiers, Mark Scott, Scott, Jason Campbell, Mouth’s Scott, “, ‘, ’, ” Scott, Celtic’s, King William III, William of Orange, Frank McAvennie, Chris Woods, Terry Butcher, Chris Cole, don’t, ” Joseph Webster, ” Webster, Jeanette Findlay, ” “, Findlay, Steve Welsh, “ I’ve, I’m Organizations: CNN, Hibernian FC, Scottish, Rangers FC, Northern, ” Hibernian FC, Hibs, Police Scotland, Rangers, Hibernian, Easter, SNS, Scotland, Catholic, – Celtic FC, Irish Republican Army, Ulster Volunteer Force, UVF, “ Rangers, Catholic Hibernian, Midlothian FC, Loyalist, Celtic, Scottish Premier League, Ibrox, ” Authorities, Football, Communications, Crown, Fiscal, Scottish Government, University of Cambridge, ” CNN, Scottish Football Association, CNN Sport, Celtic Park, ” Celtic Locations: Edinburgh, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, Scotland’s, Scotland, Scottish, West, Glasgow, “, Findlay

☆ China's war drills around Taiwan enter Day 2. Here's what it means for cross-strait relations
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-24 | by ( Sumathi Bala | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Members of Taiwan's military conduct routine exercises at Liaoluo Port in Kinmen on May 24, 2024. (Photo by I-HWA CHENG/AFP via Getty Images) I-hwa Cheng | Afp | Getty ImagesChina's latest military exercises around Taiwan risk escalating cross-strait tensions — but war remains unlikely, political observers say. Beijing warned that the two-day drills, which continued on Friday, were aimed at punishing the island's new President Lai Ching-te for his "hostility and provocations." The drills are "legitimate, timely and entirely necessary," as acts of "Taiwan independence" in any form "cannot be tolerated," it added. "This pretext for conducting military exercises not only does not contribute to peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, but also highlights its hegemonic nature," the ministry said.

Persons: HWA CHENG, Cheng, Lai Ching, Lai, Xi Jinping, China's, Lai —, Wang Yi, Nancy Pelosi's, Xi, Joe Biden, Gabriel Wildau Organizations: HWA, Getty, Afp, Xinhua, Atlantic, China's Ministry of National Defense, Liberation Army, PLA, Eastern, Command, U.S ., Fujian, Guard, U.S, APEC, Teneo Intelligence, Republicans Locations: Liaoluo, Kinmen, China, Taiwan, AFP, Beijing, Eurasia, Republic of China, People's Republic of China, United States, U.S

☆ UN’s top court orders Israel to ‘immediately’ halt its operation in Rafah
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-24 | by ( Abbas Al Lawati | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —The United Nations’ top court has ordered Israel to immediately halt its controversial military operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, further increasing international pressure on Israel over its war against Hamas. Israel began a limited ground offensive in Rafah on May 7, defying calls from the international community, including the United States, not to proceed. More than a million Palestinians were taking shelter there before Israel started its operation, but the court noted that around 800,000 have since been displaced. Ambassador of the Republic of South Africa to the Netherlands, Vusimuzi Madonsela, waits for judges to enter the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands on Friday. The development comes as Israel faces mounting international and domestic pressure to end the war in Gaza.

Persons: “, Nawaf Salam, ”, Israel, Vusimuzi, Peter Dejong, International Law Gilad Noam, Benjamin Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant, Netanyahu, Biden, Joe Biden, ” Israel, Israel’s, Israel ‘, ” Yossi Mekelberg, Eliav, Neve Gordon, Gali, Amit Aisman, Gordon Organizations: CNN, United Nations ’, Hamas, International Court of Justice, Israel, Court of Justice, International Law, Criminal Court, ICC, Israel Defense Forces, ICJ, Health Ministry, North Africa, Chatham House, Tel Aviv University, Queen Mary University of London, Times Locations: Israel, Gaza, Rafah, “ Israel, United States, Egypt, South Africa, Pretoria, Republic of South Africa, Netherlands, The Hague, Washington, Palestinian, East, London, Gali Baharav

☆ Biden looks to counter China’s influence as he rolls out red carpet for Kenya
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Kevin Liptak | Kayla Tausche | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Among the goals of his three-day state visit in October: securing another $1 billion in loans from China to help complete infrastructure projects. On Wednesday, when he arrived at Joint Base Andrews to begin another state visit – this time to Washington – he again found a red carpet and troops. Senior administration officials acknowledge a central factor in scheduling a state visit with Kenya was the desire to counter China’s influence and financial leverage on the African continent, which has outpaced the United States in direct investment. One of the goals of Thursday’s state visit is to demonstrate the ability of democracies – like Kenya’s – to deliver for their people. “I plan on going in February,” Biden told reporters.

Persons: Washington CNN —, William Ruto, Joint Base Andrews, Washington –, Jill Biden, Joe Biden, –, Kenya –, ”, “, Biden, Ruto, ” Ruto, he’s, João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, Jake Sullivan, ” Biden, Xi Jinping, Donald Trump –, ” Sullivan, Ariel Henry Organizations: Washington CNN, Kenyan, Joint Base, East, Kenya, NATO, Africa –, White, Initiative, Loans, Washington, World Bank, Group, European Union, Democratic, White House, Angolan, Advisers, CNN, Haitian Locations: Beijing, China, Africa, Kenya, United States, China’s, Nairobi, Mombasa, Boston, US, Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia, Washington, East, Ukraine, ”, Russia, –, combatting al, Shabab, Somalia, Yemen, Haiti

☆ The Full Guest List for Biden’s State Dinner With Kenya
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Minho Kim | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The White House invited more than 450 guests to the state dinner hosted by President Biden for President William Ruto on Thursday night, including business executives, musicians, leaders of the United Nations, community organizers and scholars on sustainable development. Former President Barack Obama also attended the event, although he was not included on a list of those invited provided by the White House. Here is the full list of others invited. THE PRESIDENT AND DR. BIDENHIS EXCELLENCY WILLIAM SAMOEI RUTO, PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF KENYA, AND HER EXCELLENCY RACHEL RUTOAlice P. Albright, chief executive of Millennium Challenge Corporation, and Gregory B. BowesElizabeth E. Alexander, communications director for the first lady, and David Wade

Persons: Biden, William Ruto, Barack Obama, WILLIAM SAMOEI RUTO, RACHEL RUTO Alice P, Albright, Gregory B, Bowes Elizabeth E, Alexander, David Wade Organizations: White House, United Nations, White, THE, DR, BIDEN HIS, OF THE, OF KENYA, Millennium Challenge Corporation

☆ US lawmakers call for DOJ, IOC investigations into Chinese doping before Olympics
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Amy Woodyatt | George Ramsay | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —A doping case involving 23 Chinese swimmers took a diplomatic twist on Wednesday after US lawmakers called on the US Department of Justice and the International Olympic Committee to launch inquiries into the controversy. The Chinese swimmers tested positive for trimetazidine, a banned performance-enhancing substance, several months before the Tokyo Olympics – a tournament at which they were allowed to compete in, and went on to win medals at, according to a report from the New York Times released in coordination with German public broadcaster ARD. In a statement released Wednesday, the lawmakers called for an assessment as to whether the alleged doping was “state-sponsored,” adding that could warrant further diplomatic measures by the United States and the international community. CNN has reached out to the Department of Justice, the IOC and WADA for comment. Trimetazidine has the potential to boost endurance and has been banned by WADA since 2014.

Persons: ”, Raja Krishnamoorthi, John Moolenaar, WADA, “, ” WADA, Sarah Hirshland, Witold Banka, …, Trimetazidine, CHINADA Organizations: CNN, US Department of Justice, International Olympic Committee, Tokyo, New York Times, ARD, Olympic, Chinese Communist Party, Doping Agency, Department of Justice, IOC, European Medicines Agency, EMA, Canadian Olympic Committee, Paralympic, ”, CHINADA, Xinhua Locations: People’s Republic of China, Russia, United States, Paris, China, ”, trimetazidine

☆ China has launched new drills encircling Taiwan. Why now?
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Jessie Yeung | Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —Tensions are once again ratcheting up in the Taiwan Strait, with China launching military drills encircling Taiwan just days after the democracy swore in a new leader long loathed by Beijing. The Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) said it launched joint military drills involving the army, navy, air force and rocket force in areas around Taiwan early Thursday morning. The drills are being conducted in the Taiwan Strait – a narrow body of water separating the self-ruling island with mainland China – as well as north, south and east of Taiwan. The Chinese guided missile frigate Nantong, one of the vessels in the series of military drills around Taiwan. The defeated Nationalist Party fled to Taiwan, moving the seat of their Republic of China (ROC) government from the mainland to Taipei.

Persons: ”, Lai Ching, China’s, Xi Jinping, Li Xi, Lai, Wu Mei, Carlos Garcia Rawlins, Tsai Ing, Tsai –, Mike Gallagher Organizations: CNN, Communist Party, Eastern Theater Command, People’s Liberation Army, PLA, People's Liberation Army, Weibo, Taiwan’s Defense Ministry, Democratic Progressive Party, DPP, Chinese Communist Party, CCP, Nationalist Party, US, Communist, Beijing, Tuesday Locations: Taiwan, China, Beijing, Kinmen, Taipei, People’s Republic of China, Republic of China, Xi, Washington

☆ Ms Rachel, the YouTuber, launched a campaign to help kids in Gaza and other conflict zones. Then came the angry comments
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Faith Karimi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

“Hiiii, heeeello,” she chirps while waving cheerfully in social media clips that feature upbeat nursery rhymes, dances and language lessons for preschool children. Instead of her usual smiling, clapping and cheering, the popular social media creator, whose full name is Rachel Griffin Accurso, was in tears. But I can handle this,” she said in a video posted to her accounts last Thursday. In the caption on her tearful May 16 video, Accurso reiterated her concern for all the world’s children. “Palestinian children, Israeli children, children in the US – Muslim, Jewish, Christian children – all children, in every country,” she wrote.

Persons: “, TikTok, Rachel Griffin Accurso, ”, Accurso, wasn’t, –, Rachel, she’d, she’s, Rogers, James Elder, —, Giselle Ugarte, ” Ugarte, influencers Organizations: CNN, YouTube, Democratic, New York Times, United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF Locations: Instagram, Gaza, Israel, gaza, Sudan, Ukraine, Democratic Republic of the Congo, New York, Rafah, Palestinian, “

☆ House Panel Seeks F.B.I. Investigation Into Doping by Chinese Swimmers
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Michael S. Schmidt | Tariq Panja | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The House select committee on China has asked the Justice Department and F.B.I. to investigate reports that Chinese authorities covered up positive doping tests for nearly half the swim team it sent to the last Olympic Games and that the global antidoping regulator failed to take action. “This scandal raises serious legal, ethical and competitive concerns and may constitute a broader state-sponsored strategy by the People’s Republic of China (P.R.C.) to unfairly compete at the Olympic Games in ways Russia has previously done,” the panel’s chairman, Representative John Moolenaar, Republican of Michigan, and its senior Democrat, Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois, said in a letter to Attorney General Merrick B. Garland and the F.B.I. The letter could put additional political pressure on the Justice Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation to ratchet up scrutiny of China’s athletic program and the organization responsible for policing the use of banned performance enhancers, the World Anti-Doping Agency, just two months before the 2024 Summer Games in Paris.

Persons: John Moolenaar, Raja Krishnamoorthi, General Merrick B, Garland, Christopher A, Wray Organizations: Justice Department, Olympic Games, Olympic, Republican, Federal Bureau of, Doping Agency Locations: China, Russia, People’s Republic of China, Michigan, Illinois, Paris

☆ Four Lawmakers Denounce Plan to Ease Sanctions on Israeli Mining Executive
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Eric Lipton | More About Eric Lipton | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A bipartisan group of four congressional lawmakers have objected to the Biden administration plan to boost access to metals needed for electric vehicle batteries by easing sanctions on an Israeli mining executive accused of corrupt practices in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The objection came as the Biden administration moves to allow Dan Gertler, an Israeli billionaire, to sell his financial stake in three mines in Congo as part of an effort to remove him from the mining trade there. Senior Biden officials have argued this will help Congo, the largest producer of cobalt in the world, by enticing more Western-leaning investors. Mr. Gertler has said that all his investments in Congo were aboveboard. But the four lawmakers — two senators and two House members — disputed that, saying the Biden administration was wrong to propose allowing Mr. Gertler to profit as he sells off his holdings in Congo.

Persons: Biden, Dan Gertler, Gertler, — Organizations: Democratic, Biden Locations: Democratic Republic of Congo, Congo

☆ Opinion: Iran’s president is dead. The cruel show goes on
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Opinion Frida Ghitis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

She is a weekly opinion contributor to CNN, a contributing columnist to The Washington Post and senior columnist for World Politics Review. Expect clerics and security forces – the military and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) – to compete to see who can gain the upper hand, with hardliners in both groups seeking to position themselves for dominance. The chance of a kinder, gentler Iran emerging after new presidential elections are held in 50 days are essentially nil. He won, but most voters spoiled their ballots or stayed home, with the lowest turnout in the Islamic Republic’s history. Now Raisi is dead and the odds are that he will be replaced by another hardliner.

Persons: Frida Ghitis, Ebrahim Raisi, Raisi, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, –, Ali Khamenei, Khamenei acolyte, ”, Mahsa Amini, ” Raisi Organizations: CNN, Washington Post, Politics, Islamic, Ukraine, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Army, Amnesty International, Green Movement, US Locations: Republic of Iran, Islamic Republic, Iran, Israel, Gaza, Lebanon, Yemen, Damascus, Russia, China, North Korea, Tehran, Saudi Arabia

☆ Iran’s president has died in office. Here’s what happens next
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Once seen as a likely successor to Iran’s Supreme Leader, President Ebrahim Raisi has died in office, leaving the Islamic Republic’s hardline establishment facing an uncertain future. An ultraconservative president, 63-year-old Raisi was killed Sunday, along with Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and other high-ranking officials, in a helicopter crash in Iran’s remote northwest. Raisi’s death has raised questions about who will eventually succeed Iran’s 85-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the most powerful man in the country. According to the constitution, the 88-member Assembly of Experts picks the successor to the Supreme Leader after his death. “(This) definitely throws all the plans that offices of the Supreme Leader probably had out the window,” Vaez told CNN’s Paula Newton.

Persons: CNN —, Ebrahim Raisi, Raisi, Hossein Amir, growingly restive, ” Ali Vaez, Power, Mohammad Mokhber, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, —, Hassan Rouhani, ” Parsi, ” Vaez, ” Iran's, Iran’s, Khamenei, Azin, AP “ Ebrahim Raisi’s, ” Karim Sadjadpour, Leader’s, Mojtaba Khamanei, Sadjadpour, Vaez, CNN’s Paula Newton, Islamic Republic ” Organizations: CNN, Iran’s, Islamic, Foreign, IRI, Group, Experts, Quincy Institute, Responsible, Revolutionary Guards, Iran's, Observers, Iran’s Guardian Council, Guardian Council, Moj News Agency, AP, Carnegie Endowment, International Locations: Islamic Republic of Iran, Iran, Islamic Republic, Washington ,, Tehran, Iranian, Raisi, Varzaghan

☆ DR Congo: Americans involved in foiled deadly coup, military says
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —American citizens were involved in an attempted coup d’état that left at least three people dead on Sunday in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a military spokesperson told CNN Monday. Malanga was killed in a gun battle between the armed putschists and the presidential guards, Ekenge said. Videos widely shared on social media, but not verified by CNN, showed a man with a bloody face being surrounded by Congolese military personnel. Sunday’s incident was the second coup attempt by the now deceased Malanga, a former Congolese military veteran, Ekenge told CNN. The African Union condemned Sunday’s coup attempt in the DRC and welcomed the “control of the situation” by the country’s security forces.

Persons: d’état, Vital Kamerhe, Christian Malanga, General Sylvain Ekenge, Malanga, Ekenge, “, ” Ekenge, Marcel, Benjamin Reuben Zalman, Polun, Patrick Ducey, Taylor Thomson, “ Patrick Ducey, Lucy Tamlyn, ”, Felix Tshisekedi, Kamerhe’s, Sunday’s Organizations: CNN, Democratic, Palais, Nation, Congolese, United Congolese Party, Reuters, World Bank, Central, African Union Locations: Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC, Congolese, Kinshasa, Africa, Gabon

☆ Iran's President Raisi is dead. What does the leadership void mean for the country and the world?
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The President of Islamic Republic of Iran Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi during the meeting with Secretary-General Antonio Guterres UN Headquarters. Lev Radin | Lightrocket | Getty ImagesThe sudden death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash plunges Tehran into fresh uncertainty at a time when it already faces deep economic decline, popular discontent, and war. The helicopter carrying President Raisi suffered a hard landing on Sunday while returning from Azerbaijan in poor weather conditions, Iranian state media reported on Monday. "That interim presidency ... [is] going to potentially pave the way for even more IRGC control over policies." "When it comes to the relationship with the U.S., and likely [with] Israel, nothing is really going to change there.

Persons: Islamic Republic of Iran Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi, Antonio Guterres, Lev Radin, Lightrocket, Ebrahim Raisi, Raisi, Hossein Amirabdollahian, Yemen's, Ayatollah Khamenei, Mohammed Mokhber, Nader Itayim, Itayim, Joe Biden Organizations: Islamic, Antonio Guterres UN, Iran's, Hamas, Hezbollah, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Iranian, Guardian Council, Argus Media, U.S, Palestinian Locations: Islamic Republic of Iran, Tehran, Azerbaijan, Lebanese, Iran, Mideast, Israel, U.S, Gaza

☆ Toxic Political Culture Has Even Some Slovaks Calling Country ‘a Black Hole.’
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-19 | by ( Andrew Higgins | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

More than a quarter century has passed since the United States called Slovakia a “black hole in the center of Europe” — an island of autocratic malaise surrounded by spry new democracies. The insult, leveled in 1997 by Secretary of State Madeline Albright against a country that has since joined NATO and the European Union, still stings. “We are back in a black hole; I’m not sure we ever got out of it,” said Roman Kvasnica, a prominent Slovak lawyer who denounces a political culture in which threats and personal insults are routine. In his own legal work he has faced numerous threats, including a warning that he would get a “bullet in the head” from a tycoon charged with ordering the 2018 murder of an investigative journalist digging into government corruption. Mr. Havel served as the first president of post-communist Czechoslovakia, the state that in 1993 split amicably into the Czech Republic and the Republic of Slovakia.

Persons: spry, Madeline Albright, Robert Fico, Albright, ”, Roman Kvasnica, Vaclav Havel, Havel Organizations: NATO, European Union, Central, Mr Locations: United States, Slovakia, Europe, Central European, Slovak, Czechoslovakia, Czech Republic, Republic of Slovakia

☆ Congolese Army Says It Foiled a Coup Involving Americans
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-19 | by ( Declan Walsh | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The military of the Democratic Republic of Congo said on Sunday that it had foiled a coup attempt involving foreigners, hours after a gunfight near the presidential palace in which at least three people were killed. In a brief statement on state television, an army spokesman, Brig. Gen. Sylvain Ekenge, initially offered little detail about the purported putsch in the capital, Kinshasa, other than to say that the plotters and their leader had been “put out of action.”But he later told The Associated Press that three Americans were among the perpetrators, and the United States ambassador to Congo, Lucy Tamlyn, acknowledged publicly that American citizens may have been involved. The United States will cooperate “to the fullest extent” with the Congolese authorities “as they investigate these criminal acts and hold accountable any U.S. citizen involved.,” she said on X, formerly Twitter.

Persons: Sylvain Ekenge, “, Lucy Tamlyn, ” Organizations: Democratic, Associated Press, United, Congolese Locations: Democratic Republic of Congo, Kinshasa, United States, Congo

☆ Tsai Ing-wen: the leader who put Taiwan on the map and stood up to China
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-18 | by ( Wayne Chang | Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +16 min

While supporters applaud Tsai for standing up to China, defending Taiwan’s sovereignty, freedom and democracy, critics blame her for straining ties with Beijing, stoking cross-strait tensions. Beijing, which deems the tacit agreement a precondition for dialogue, has cut official contact with Taipei since Tsai took office. Taiwan President Tsai inspects reservists at a training session at a military base in Taoyuan on May 11, 2023. But under Tsai, Taiwan has sought to enhance its asymmetric defense capabilities, developing and procuring cheaper and more mobile weapon systems that could be instrumental in halting a potential Chinese invasion. Taiwanese military experts have increasingly advocated for such an approach, noting that Taiwan can never match China in military might and assets.

Persons: Taipei CNN — Tsai Ing, introvert, ” Tsai, Xi Jinping, Xi, Tsai, stoking, Taiwan’s, Lai Ching, ”, Alex Chan Tsz Yuk, Wellington Koo, “, Vanessa Hope, Ma Ying, Taiwan's, Jose Lopes Amaral, Wen, Amanda Hsiao, Nancy Pelosi, Chien Chih, Nancy Pelosi’s, Huang, Jameson Wu, ” Sung, ” Hsiao, “ Tsai, Sawayasu Tsuji, Sung, ” Tsai’s, –, Lai Organizations: Taipei CNN, Democratic Progressive Party, DPP, Kuomintang, KMT, World Health Organization, WHO, Atlantic, Trump, Biden, International Crisis, US, Getty, World Health Assembly, National Chengchi University, Getty Images, Taiwan’s Military Academy, ” Tsai’s DPP Locations: Taipei, Taiwan, China, United States, Beijing, Tsai, Asia, Wellington, Ukraine, Gaza, Japan, Czech Republic, Republic of China, Taoyuan, AFP, Washington, Hong Kong

☆ C.D.C. Warns of a Resurgence of Mpox
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Apoorva Mandavilli | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

With Pride events scheduled worldwide over the coming weeks, U.S. officials are bracing for a return of mpox, the infectious disease formerly called monkeypox that struck tens of thousands of gay and bisexual men worldwide in 2022. A combination of behavioral changes and vaccination quelled that outbreak, but a majority of those at risk have not yet been immunized. On Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned of a deadlier version of mpox that is ravaging the Democratic Republic of Congo and urged people at risk to be vaccinated as soon as possible. But the escalating epidemic in Congo nevertheless poses a global threat, just as infections in Nigeria set off the 2022 outbreak, experts said. Dr. Rimoin has studied mpox in Congo for more than 20 years, and first warned of its potential for global spread in 2010.

Persons: ”, Anne Rimoin, Rimoin Organizations: Centers for Disease Control, Democratic, University of California Locations: Democratic Republic of Congo, Africa, Congo, Nigeria, Los Angeles

☆ U.S. questions China's no-first-use nuclear call given buildup
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Referring also to Russia, Jenkins said China's nuclear buildup "raises the specter that United States may soon face two expansionary and significantly nuclear-armed peers." "Beijing's development of a larger, more diverse nuclear arsenal is deeply concerning, and raises questions about the trajectory of the PRC nuclear weapons program," she said. Jenkins was asked about China's call in February for states with the largest nuclear arsenals to negotiate a treaty on no-first-use of nuclear weapons against each other or to make a political statement in this regard. She said it was the first time the U.S. had heard such a proposal from China, underscoring the need for nuclear talks. "Our questions are, quite frankly, how does an idea for no-first-use really fit within their ongoing process of building up nuclear weapons?

Persons: Bonnie Jenkins, Jenkins, specter, hadn't Organizations: Senate Foreign Relations Locations: China, Washington, U.S, People's Republic of China, Russia, States

☆ Seeking Access to Congo’s Metals, White House Aims to Ease Sanctions
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Eric Lipton | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Three years after Biden administration officials tightened sanctions on a billionaire Israeli mining executive for corrupt business practices in the Democratic Republic of Congo, they have reversed themselves and are offering the executive a deal they hope will bolster the supply of a metal vital to electric vehicles. The plan would allow the executive, Dan Gertler, to sell off his remaining stakes in three giant copper and cobalt mining operations in Congo. Once Mr. Gertler sells his positions, the Biden administration hopes Western-leaning companies will be more willing to invest in Congo, perhaps delivering a greater supply of cobalt to the United States as automakers race to increase domestic production of batteries. But certain State and Treasury Department officials strongly opposed the effort, saying that Mr. Gertler should not be allowed to profit from his deal-making, which the Biden administration earlier argued had cheated the citizens of Congo out of more than $1 billion in mining revenues.

Persons: Dan Gertler, Gertler, Biden Organizations: Biden, Democratic, Treasury Department Locations: Democratic Republic of Congo, Congo, United States

☆ Russia can't seem to stop this Ukrainian Cessna-style drone that, compared to missiles, is basically a 'flying brick' with a bomb onboard
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Experts say these aircraft underscore the success of Ukraine's innovative long-range drone program, which Kyiv has employed to go after Russia's military and energy facilities. The Ukrainian drones are in fact slow-flying ultralight planes. And if Ukraine can find a corridor that lacks proper air-defense coverage, then the drone can effectively penetrate right through Russian territory, Hoffmann said. Notably, the Cessna-style drone underscores the success of Ukraine's ever-evolving drone program. The aircraft was converted into a drone - A-22 Flying Fox.

Persons: —, JzjMc83uA4 —, Fabian Hoffmann, it's, Hoffmann, Petersburg —, It's, Gordon Davis Jr, Davis, Ukraine's, …, obdWO5ACNA, Washington, Lance Landrum, Landrum Organizations: Service, Cessna, Business, Kyiv, University of Oslo, US Army, Center for, Fox, US Air Force Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, Republic of Bashkortostan, Bashkortostan, Russian, Tatarstan, Moscow, St, Ukrainian

☆ China is engaged in ‘deliberate' efforts to undermine the U.S. and Europe, says EU envoy Gitenstein
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Vicky Mckeever | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Mark Gitenstein, the U.S. ambassador to the EU, said China is deliberately distorting markets with a glut of cheap goods. Speaking to CNBC's Silvia Amaro on Tuesday, Gitenstein said China was "engaged in a deliberate effort to undermine economic sectors in both Europe and the United States." The Chinese Embassy in London did not immediately respond to a request for comment when contacted by CNBC. It comes amid growing concerns over a raft of cheap Chinese "green" goods — such as EVs, batteries and solar panels — flooding international markets. White House officials have already warned Beijing to amend certain trade practices that it argues have weakened global supply chains.

Persons: Mark Gitenstein, CNBC's Silvia Amaro, Gitenstein, Biden, Ursula von der Leyen, Charles Michel, — CNBC's Rebecca Picciotto Organizations: Embassy, CNBC, White, European Commission, European Locations: U.S, China, Europe, United States, London, Beijing, People's Republic of China, PRC

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