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☆ 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

☆ What the Death of Iran’s President Raisi Means for His Country, and the World - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Reuel Marc Gerecht | Ray Takeyh | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has not always seen eye to eye with his country’s presidents. Mr. Raisi was a revolutionary with an ideologue’s integrity. Despite this deep experience and loyalty, it wasn’t clear that Mr. Raisi would be a suitable successor to Mr. Khamenei, a development many observers and Iranians feared. Mr. Raisi only possessed the last. But even if his ascension was uncertain, Mr. Khamenei still relied upon the cleric to help manage the coming transition: Mr. Raisi was reportedly part of a three-man committee vested with the responsibility to choose the next supreme leader.

Persons: Ali Khamenei, Akbar Hashemi, Rafsanjani, Mohammad Khatami, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Hassan, Ebrahim Raisi, Mr, Khamenei, Raisi Organizations: Iran’s Locations: Islamic Republic

☆ 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

☆ Chinese Woman Jailed for Reporting on Covid Set to be Freed
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Vivian Wang | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

But in a sign of how eager the Chinese government remains to suppress public discussion of the outbreak, it was unclear on Monday evening whether Ms. Zhang, 40, had actually been set free. The lawyer who represented Ms. Zhang during her trial, Zhang Keke (the two are not related), said he could not reach her mother all day. The group, which gave Ms. Zhang a press freedom award in 2021, noted that journalists released from imprisonment in China are often kept under surveillance. Ms. Zhang was an early symbol of the mistrust that many Chinese harbored toward the government’s handling of the outset of the pandemic, and the hunger they had for unfiltered information. A former lawyer from Shanghai, she traveled in early 2020 to Wuhan, the city where the virus was first detected, as a self-styled citizen journalist.

Persons: Zhang Zhan, Zhang, Zhang Keke Locations: China, Shanghai, Wuhan

☆ Toomaj Salehi: Iranian rapper sentenced to death for protesting in Iran
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Artemis Moshtaghian | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Dissident rapper Toomaj Salehi has been given a death sentence for his involvement in the widespread protests that swept Iran in 2022, according to his lawyer. “An order for the execution of Toomaj Salehi has been issued,” Salehi’s lawyer Amir Raesian tweeted Wednesday. State media said Salehi’s sentence is subject for reduction by a pardoning committee if he appeals again. A court in Tehran sentenced Yasin to five years in prison, according to group focused on Kurdish human rights, Hengaw. “We strongly condemn Toomaj Salehi’s death sentence and the five-year sentence for Kurdish-Iranian rapper Saman Yasin.

Persons: Toomaj Salehi, “, ”, Amir Raesian, rearrested, Saman Yasin, Yasin, Toomaj, Salehi Organizations: CNN —, UN, Human Rights, United States ’ Office Locations: Iran, Isfahan, Entekhab, Iranian, Tehran, United, Europe, Ye

☆ Court in Iran Sentences Prominent Rapper to Death, His Lawyer Says
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Cassandra Vinograd | Leily Nikounazar | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A dissident rapper has been sentenced to death in Iran after releasing music in support of antigovernment demonstrations that rocked the country in 2022, according to his lawyer, in a case that has prompted global condemnation. The rapper, Toomaj Salehi, 33, was one of the most prominent voices among those arrested over nationwide protests against Iran’s clerical rulers after the death in police custody of Mahsa Amini, 22. Human rights organizations have been calling for Mr. Salehi’s release, saying that he has been tortured in prison and warning that he could face execution. Amir Raesian, Mr. Salehi’s lawyer, told the Iranian reformist newspaper Shargh in an article published on Wednesday that a court in the central city of Isfahan had sentenced Mr. Salehi to death and that his client planned to appeal. The office of the U.S. Special Envoy for Iran condemned the sentence, calling it another example of “the regime’s brutal abuse of its own citizens, disregard for human rights, and fear of the democratic change the Iranian people seek.”

Persons: Toomaj Salehi, Mahsa Amini, Amir Raesian, Salehi’s, Mr, Salehi, ” Organizations: U.S . Locations: Iran, Iranian, Isfahan

☆ North Korea claims it tested new command-and-control system in simulated nuclear counterstrike
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Seoul, South Korea CNN —North Korea claims it tested a new nuclear weapons command-and-control system Monday, with the firing of projectiles carrying simulated nuclear warheads from multiple rocket launcher units. North Korea has tested both the rocket launcher system and a simulated nuclear counterstrike before, according to analysts, but KCNA said Monday’s exercise was the first time the “Haekbangashoe” – or nuclear trigger – command-and-control system was used, demonstrating what it claimed was an ability to switch rocket launchers from conventional to nuclear weapons. Though the regime’s true capabilities have not been independently verified, a 2017 report from the US Defense Intelligence Agency concluded North Korea had likely achieved its key goal of miniaturization. Images supplied by North Korea Monday showed four rockets being launched, with KCNA saying they hit targets on an island 352 kilometers (218 miles) away. The US-South Korea exercise has “incited extreme war fever” and cannot be classified as defense or deterrence, the KCNA report said.

Persons: Kim Jong Un, KCNA, Kim, ”, Jeffrey Lewis, James Martin, Joseph Dempsey, ” Dempsey, Kim ramped Organizations: South Korea CNN, Korean Central News Agency, James, James Martin Center, Nonproliferation Studies, International Institute for Strategic Studies, US Defense Intelligence Agency, miniaturization, North Korea, Korea’s, Chiefs, Staff, Korea, US Air Force Locations: Seoul, South Korea, Korea, United States, North Korea, denuclearization, Washington, U.S

☆ What’s Happening In Myanmar’s Civil War?
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-20 | by ( Hannah Beech | Weiyi Cai | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +16 min

RUSSIA CHINA INDIA Pacific Ocean MYANMAR INDONESIA Indian Ocean AUSTRALIA RUSSIA CHINA INDIA Pacific Ocean MYANMAR INDONESIA Indian Ocean AUSTRALIAWhat’s Happening In Myanmar’s Civil War? Parliamentary rule 1962 Military coup 1988 Nearly five decades of military rule Widespread pro-democracy protests followed by bloody military crackdown. National civil unrest 2021 Military coup ended power sharing with civilian government. Parliamentary rule Nearly five decades of military rule National civil unrest British colonial rule 1948 1988 1990 2007 2011 2021 1962 2015 Widespread pro-democracy protests followed by bloody military crackdown. National civil unrest 2021 Military coup ended power sharing with civilian government.

Persons: Adam Ferguson, Min Aung, Daw Aung, Suu Kyi, Aung, —, Tom Andrews, Chin, Rakhine Karen Mon Bamar, Kayan, Karen, Ms, hideouts Organizations: MYANMAR INDONESIA Indian Ocean, Insurgent, Council, Myanmar, 8th Battalion, Karenni Nationalities Defense Force, The New York Times, Senior, National Unity Government, People’s Defense Forces, Rebels, Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, Myanmar Peace Monitor, United Nations, General Administration Department, Union of, United, National Liberation Army Locations: RUSSIA CHINA, MYANMAR INDONESIA Indian Ocean AUSTRALIA RUSSIA CHINA, MYANMAR INDONESIA Indian, MYANMAR INDONESIA Indian Ocean AUSTRALIA, INDIA CHINA BANGLADESH Mandalay MYANMAR LAOS Naypyidaw Bay, Bengal Yangon THAILAND, INDIA CHINA Mandalay MYANMAR, Yangon THAILAND Bay, Bengal, Myanmar, Ukraine, Gaza, India, China, Karenni State, country’s, Suu, Myanmar’s, British, Sagaing Region, MYANMAR, Naypyidaw, Burma, United States, Rakhine, Thailand, Union, Union of Burma, Afghanistan

☆ Live updates: Israel weighs response to Iran attack, US will impose new sanctions on Tehran
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-17 | by ( Kathleen Magramo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: 1 min

The United States will impose new sanctions targeting Tehran after Iran's large-scale attack on Israel over the weekend, according to National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan. Most of the 300 ballistic projectiles, the majority of which are believed to have been launched from inside of Iran’s territory, were intercepted by Israel and its allies. Iran said it attacked Israel in retaliation for an Israeli strike on its diplomatic compound in Syria. US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the Biden administration would use sanctions “to continue disrupting the Iranian regime’s malign and destabilizing activity.”Here are the latest developments in the region:

Persons: Jake Sullivan, Janet Yellen, Biden Organizations: National Locations: States, Tehran, Israel, Iran, Syria

☆ Ex-CIA director says Israel could use 'covert' operations to retaliate against Iran's drone strikes without escalating the conflict
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( Kwan Wei Kevin Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewA former CIA director says Israel could take a covert, rather than an overt, response against the Iranian drone strikes that took place on Saturday. They can pursue asymmetric attacks, cyberspace, and so forth," former CIA director and retired general David Petraeus told CNN on Sunday. The airstrike had reportedly killed several top Iranian military commanders. AdvertisementAnd that, Petraeus told CNN on Sunday, isn't something that Iran wants to see. Representatives for Petraeus did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider sent outside regular business hours.

Persons: —, Israel, David Petraeus, Petraeus, BI's Rebecca Rommen, Mossad's, Brent Crude Organizations: Service, CIA, CNN, Business, United Nations, UN, NY, Atlantic Council, New York Times, Business Insider Locations: Washington, Iran, Israel, Jordanian, Iranian, Syria, Islamic Republic of Iran, Damascus, Tehran, Iraq's Kurdistan

☆ Opinion: What does Iran really want?
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-14 | by ( Peter Bergen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

“A modern, strong, peaceful Iran could become a pillar of stability and progress in the region,” former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger wrote in 2006. Iran introduced into the Iraqi war zone highly effective roadside bombs known as EFPs – Explosively Formed Penetrators – that wounded and killed hundreds of American soldiers. The official US Army history of the Iraq War concluded that Iran was the only winner of that war. Iran’s ‘cookie-cutter approach’Norman Roule was the top US intelligence official on Iran from 2008 to 2017. The withdrawal of the US troops from neighboring Iraq is a key goal of Iran, which exerts considerable influence over some Iraqi politicians.

Persons: Peter Bergen, Osama bin Laden, Shah, Henry Kissinger, Iran’s ayatollahs, Karim Sadjadpour, Sadjadpour, Reagan, bin Laden, bin, al, Saddam Hussein, –, Noam Chomsky, Iran’s, Norman Roule, Roule, propping, Bashar al, Assad, Christine Abizaid, ”, Trump, Obama, Donald Trump, ‘, Benjamin Netanyahu, hasn’t, Joe Biden, Netanyahu, hadn’t, Biden, Abizaid, Mohammed Shia Organizations: New, Arizona State University, Apple, Spotify, CNN, Saturday, East, CIA, US Army, Israel, US National Counterterrorism Center, US Treasury Department, ‘ Deemed, United Nations, Israel’s, Hamas, Iran, White, ISIS Locations: New America, Israel, Iranian, Damascus, Iran, United States, Palestine, ”, Lebanon, Beirut, Saudi, al Qaeda, Iraqi, Saddam, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Red, Suez, Gaza, New York, Damascus ”, Jordan

Iran may now be compelled to respond despite its unwillingness to enter war with Israel and the United States. And it has increased such attacks since October 7, when Iran-backed Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,200 people and kidnapping 250, prompting a devastating Israeli war in Gaza. “That would mean that the Israeli attack on Iran has put a target on the backs of American troops in the Middle East,” he said. Washington has, however, tried to distance itself from Monday’s Israeli attack. Attack Israeli interests abroadAfter past attacks on Iran, Israel has often anticipated Iranian retaliation on its interests in foreign countries, and beefed up security at its embassies.

Persons: Donald Trump, Qassem, Israel hasn’t, ”, Daniel Hagari, Hossein Amir, Abdollahian, ” Amir, Israel, CNN’s Paula Newton, Parsi, Biden, Israel Iran’s, Houthis, Sanam Vakil, Jalal Rashidi, Vakil, Omar Sanadiki, ” Vali Nasr, “, Farzan Organizations: CNN, Seven, Revolutionary Guards, Israel Defense Forces, Iran’s, Quincy Institute, Responsible, Islamic, US National Security, Israel, Hezbollah, Chatham House, State Department, Chatham, ” stoke, UN, Global Governance Locations: Iranian, Damascus, Baghdad, Iran, Israel, United States, Syria, Gaza, Quds, Swiss, Tehran, Washington ,, Iraq, Jordan, Washington, Islamic Republic, Lebanon, Iraqi, East, North Africa, London, Argentina, India, Georgia, Thailand, Jalal Rashidi Kochi, Azerbaijan, “, Chatham House, ”, Switzerland

The Israeli military told CNN it does not comment on foreign reports. CNN cannot verify the Times’ report, nor independently verify the claims from Iran, Syria and Israel. Increasing pressureAs the Middle East braces for a potential Iranian response, Tehran is under pressure to show strength in the wake of the consulate attack while not drawing the region into a wider war. The Lebanese Shia militant group has been embroiled in daily crossfire with Israeli forces for nearly six months. However, Israeli military spokesman Hagari blamed Iran for escalating tensions in the region.

Persons: Mohammed Reza Zahedi, Mohammad Hadi Haji Rahimi, Donald Trump, IRGC, Qassem Soleimani, ”, Israel, Daniel Hagari, “, Israel’s, Syria Hossein Akbari, Nasser Kanaani, Hossein Amir, Abdollahian, d’affaires, Amir, ” Amir, Faisal Mekdad meanwhile, Houthi, Parsi, Zahedi, Bejamin Netanyahu, Hagari, I’m Organizations: CNN, Revolutionary Guards, Foreign Ministry, Israel Defense Forces, New York Times, Hamas, Ministry of Health, Zionist, Iranian Foreign Ministry, Israel, Syrian Foreign, Diplomatic Relations, US, Quincy Institute, Responsible Locations: Iran, Israel, Syria, Gaza, Damascus, Baghdad, Tehran, Lebanese, ” Iran, United States, Quds, Iranian Embassy, Iranian, Islamic Republic, Washington, Swiss, Switzerland, Syrian, Vienna, Iraq, Jordan, Red, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Lebanon, Yemen

☆ Middle East Crisis Iran Blames Israel for Deaths of Top Commanders in Syria
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-02 | by ( Farnaz Fassihi | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

The covert war has previously included Israel’s targeted assassinations of Iranian military leaders and nuclear scientists, and Iran’s use of foreign proxies to strike Israeli interests. “For years, Israel and Iran have been engaged in what’s usually called a ‘shadow war,’” Ali Vaez, the Iran director for the International Crisis Group, said Monday in a social media post. Israel and Iran differed in their descriptions of the building that was hit. Iran described it as part of its diplomatic mission in Syria, but Israel said it was being used by the Revolutionary Guards, making it a legitimate military target. Mr. Akbari said among those killed were several Iranian military advisers deployed to Syria.

Persons: Israel, Israel’s, Mohamad Reza Zahedi, General Zahedi, Mohammad Hadi Haj Rahimi, Hossein Aman Allahi, ’ ” Ali Vaez, “, ” Nasser Kanaani, Mr, Kanaani, Daniel Hagari, ” Mr, Vaez, ”, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, Hossein Akbari, Akbari, Iran’s, Peyman Syed Taheri, Taheri Organizations: Iranian Embassy, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, Iran’s Quds Force, Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, Corps, Hamas, Quds Force, Quds Forces, Quds, Guards, International Crisis, Iran’s, Palestinian, Revolutionary Guards, CNN Locations: Damascus, Syria, Iranian, Syrian, Iran’s Quds, Israel, Iran, Gaza, Lebanon, Quds, “ Iran, Jihad, ”, Tehran

☆ ‘A show and propaganda:’ Iran braces for low-turnout election amid silenced dissent, tumbling economy
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Rosa Rahimi | Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

“No, I will not vote,” a 23-year-old Iranian woman told CNN from Tehran. Authorities are nonetheless eager to bring people to the polls, trying to inspire a sense of duty and resistance among Iranians amid Israel’s war in Gaza. Pedestrians pass by a poster featuring Ayatollah Khomeini, the first Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic (right) and Ayatollah Khamenei, the current Supreme Leader (left) on February 24 in Tehran, Iran. Hossein Beris/Middle East Images/AFP/Getty ImagesOther officials have directly cited the Gaza war to rally voters ahead of the polling day. An election poster for a female parliamentary candidate apparently plays on the 'Woman-Life-Freedom' protest slogan, replacing it with 'Woman-Wisdom-Greatness' in Isfahan, Iran on February 24.

Persons: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Mahsa, “, ”, Khamenei, ” Khamenei, Khomeini, Ayatollah Khamenei, Hossein Beris, Hamidreza, Alex Vatanka, Foad, ” Izadi, ISNA, Hassan Moslemi Naeini, Morteza, ” Iran’s, hardliner Ebrahim Raisi, Holly Dagres, Jamshid Jamshidi, –, Hassan Rouhani, ” Hengaw, Pedram Soltani Organizations: CNN, Experts, Authorities, Islamic, Getty, Middle East Institute, University of Tehran’s, World Studies, Center for Education, Culture, Research, Atlantic Council, University of Oxford, UN, CNN International, Iran’s Guardian, Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Army Locations: Iran, Tehran, “, Gaza, Islamic Republic, Tehran Times, Washington , DC, Israel, Isfahan, Norway, Sanandaj, Jordan

☆ Opinion: Alexey Navalny, one man who stood up to a dictatorship
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-18 | by ( Richard Galant | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +18 min

We’re looking back at the strongest, smartest opinion takes of the week from CNN and other outlets. “In his courageous and too short life,” wrote Russia scholar Daniel Treisman, “Navalny became a symbol of hope for the younger generations of his compatriots. “He never gave up on the prospect of what he called ‘the beautiful Russia of the future,’” Treisman noted. “For a ‘beautiful Russia of the future’ to emerge in coming years, Putin must lose the war he started. Navalny understood this.”“Navalny’s death represents the extinguishing of all hope for Russia’s turnaround,” wrote Sasha Vasilyuk.

Persons: Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Joseph Stalin “, “, ”, you’ve, Alexey Navalny, Vladimir Putin’s, Navalny, fearlessly, Putin, Daniel Treisman, “ Navalny, Navalny’s, ’ ” Treisman, Sasha Vasilyuk, Alexey Navalny’s, Peter Bergen, Andrei Sakharov, ” Putin, Bergen, Nick Anderson, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Trump, authoritarians, Bill Bramhall, James Mattis, ” Peter Bergen, Frida Ghitis, Fidel Castro’s playbook, Patrick Mahomes, Andy “, Amy Bass, New York Democrat Tom Suozzi, George Santos, ” Suozzi, CNN Suozzi didn’t, Biden, isn’t, Long, Max Burns, ” “, Alejandro Mayorkas, ” “ Suozzi, Burns, Robert Hur’s, Norm Eisen, Richard Painter, Joshua Kolb, Hur, ” Joel Pett, Lawrence C, Levy, Julian Zelizer, Dean Obeidallah, Mark Dent, Dent, Saw, Clay Jones, David Orentlicher, ” Orentlicher, Will Cooper, Fani, Willis, Nathan, Wade, ” “ Willis, Antony Blinken, Batniji, Blinken, Fatah, Hussein, Don’t, David Horsey, Agency Jill Filipovic, Lynda Gorov, Taylor Swift, Jim Parrott, Mark Zandi, Brigid Schulte, Yuliya, Kara Alaimo, Frankie de la, Jackie Robinson’s, Jon Stewart’s, Jon Stewart, Matt Wilson, Jon Stewart skewered Trump, Bill Carter, Stewart, ” “ Stewart Organizations: CNN, IK, Moscow Times, Kremlin, Twitter, Facebook, Soviet, Tribune, Agency, Republican, Senate, Agency Former US Defense, Trump, , Kansas City Chiefs, Chiefs, nab, New, New York Democrat, Democratic, GOP, Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church, Super Bowl, Kansas, West Bank Locations: Soviet, Germany, Ukraine, Russia, New York, Washington, Georgia, ,, York, Glen Cove, Joel Osteen’s, Houston, Kansas City, America, ”, Kansas, Gaza, San Francisco, Israel, Iran

☆ Opinion: The best tribute we can pay to Navalny
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-17 | by ( Opinion Daniel Treisman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

In his courageous and too short life, Navalny became a symbol of hope for the younger generations of his compatriots. Rather than attack Navalny as a political rival, the authorities peddled a concocted image of Navalny as a petty swindler. Navalny’s death will leave a gaping hole at the center of Russia’s opposition movement, already fragmented and scattered across the globe. To Western leaders who have called on Russia to respect human rights, Navalny’s death is an open affront. A year ago, while he was serving his sentence, Navalny called for Russia to withdraw from Ukraine — and pay it compensation — with posts from his Twitter account.

Persons: Daniel Treisman, Sergei Guriev, Alexey Navalny, Putin, ”, Navalny, Navalny’s, ” Putin, Tucker Carlson, Yaroslav the Wise, Novichok, “, Boris Nadezhdin, Joe Biden, “ Putin, —, Sergei Magnitsky, Biden, ” Navalny Organizations: University of California, CNN, Navalny’s, Kremlin, Federal Security Service, Putin, Navalny, Republicans, Ukraine — Locations: Los Angeles, Russia, Soviet Union, Moscow, Russian, Ukrainian, ”, Europe, Ukraine

☆ AI ‘resurrects’ long dead dictator in murky new era of deepfake electioneering
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-12 | by ( Heather Chen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

“As a member of Golkar, I am very proud of Suharto because he successfully developed Indonesia,” Aksa wrote on X. The Golkar-produced Suharto video was just one of dozens featured in official party campaigns, they said. AI photos made by supporters, have also been used by Ganjar’s party in his campaign. Indonesia’s Communications Ministry issued advisories following several viral AI videos, warning tech companies and voters to be cautious of deepfakes. TAPP (Tim Advokasi Peduli Pemilu), a Jakarta-based nonprofit, said that videos like the Suharto deepfake showed AI’s potential for voter manipulation.

Persons: Suharto, ”, Erwin Aksa, Golkar –, Prabowo Subianto, –, ” Aksa, Golda Benjamin, Ganjar, Darryl Ramadhan, Muhammad Zulfan Dalimunthe, ” Budisatrio, Prabowo’s, Ganjar Pranowo, Anies Baswedan, Anies, ” Anies, TAPP, Tim Advokasi Peduli, Suharto deepfake, Gugum Ridho, Rahmat Pribadi, Suharto Suharto’s, Soe Tjen, Anton Pratama, “, ” Anton Organizations: CNN, Facebook, YouTube, Golkar, Asia Pacific, ”, Gerindra Party, Central Java Gov, Ganjar’s Democratic Party of, Jakarta Gov, Indonesia’s Communications Ministry, Getty, SOAS University of London Locations: Indonesia, Indonesian, Asia, Jakarta, Lubuk Pakam, North Sumatra, AFP, Gugum Ridho Putra, East Timor, Aceh, West Papua, Maluku, Yogyakarta

☆ Why both South Africa and Israel are welcoming the UN court’s ruling in a landmark genocide case
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | Abbas Allawati | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —A historic ruling by the United Nations’ top court in a genocide case against Israel on Friday was welcomed by the three main parties it involved: Israel, South Africa and the Palestinians. The International Court of Justice in The Hague, the Netherlands, ordered Israel to “take all measures” to prevent genocide in Gaza after South Africa accused Israel of violating international laws on genocide in its war in the territory. It rejected Israel’s request for the case to be thrown out, but it also stopped short of ordering Israel to halt the war as South Africa has asked. “I would have wanted a ceasefire,” said South African foreign minister Naledi Pandor after the ruling in The Hague. Mohammed el-Kurd, a Palestinian activist from Jerusalem, said the ICJ failed on South Africa’s “most important request” to suspend the military operations.

Persons: “, Israel, ”, Naledi Pandor, Eylon Levi, ” Avi Mayer, ” Shelly Aviv Yeini, ” Robbie Sabel, Sabel, Yeini, didn’t, Mohammed el Organizations: CNN, United Nations ’, Israel, Court of Justice, Convention, Israel’s Haifa University, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, ICJ Locations: Israel, South Africa, The Hague, Netherlands, Gaza, Palestinian, Jerusalem, “

CNN —Belarus has conducted mass raids, interrogations and arrests of dozens of friends and relatives of political prisoners, a Belarusian human rights group said, in the regime’s latest crackdown on dissent. The Belarusian KGB reportedly came to the homes and workplaces of the friends and family of political prisoners, interrogating around 100 people and arresting at least 26 others. Maryna Adamovich, the wife of political prisoner and former presidential candidate Mikalai Statkevich, was sentenced to 15 days in prison for “petty hooliganism,” the human rights group said. Norway’s Foreign Ministry said it was “deeply concerned by yesterday’s arrest of Maryna Adamovich, other human rights defenders and their family members.” It called for all political prisoners to be released immediately. “Over the past year, Belarusian authorities doubled down to create an information vacuum around raging repressions by cutting political prisoners off from the outside world and bullying their lawyers and families into silence,” the group said.

Persons: ”, Viasna, ” Viasna, Maryna Adamovich, Mikalai Statkevich, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, ” Tsikhanouskaya, Alexander Lukashenko, “, Maryna Organizations: CNN, Belarusian State Security Committee, Belarusian KGB, Human Rights, Belarusian State Security, Ministry, Dutch Foreign Ministry, Rights Watch Locations: Belarus, Belarusian

☆ North Korean teens punished for watching South Korean dramas in rare footage, research group claims
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Yoonjung Seo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Seoul, South Korea CNN —A South Korean research group has released rare footage that it claims shows North Korean teenagers sentenced to hard labor for watching and distributing K-dramas – which are banned in the hermit nation. SAND INSTITUTE NEWSLETTER/ReutersThe Seoul-based South and North Development Institute (SAND Institute), which works with North Korean defectors, obtained the recording and distributed it to media outlets. Meanwhile, living standards are far higher in South Korea, which has become one of world’s top economies. “You can see how wary the North Korean regime is about spreading and watching Korean dramas. For instance, South Korean women often use the term “oppa” for their romantic partners – it’s now forbidden in the North.

Persons: “, Kim, Choi Kyong, ” Choi, – it’s Organizations: South Korea CNN, North Development, North, Korea’s National Intelligence Service, CNN, South, NIS Locations: Seoul, South Korea, Korean, North Korea, China, South, South Korean, Pyongyang, North Korean

☆ Opinion: Taylor Swift has it. Elon Musk and George Santos don’t
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-03 | by ( Richard Galant | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +18 min

Exit George SantosVideo Ad Feedback SE Cupp: Trump didn't pave the way for George Santos. In the week that Americans said goodbye to Rosalynn Carter, Henry Kissinger and Sandra Day O’Connor, it was jarring that Santos occupied our minds. But as SE Cupp argued, in a more rational world, Santos would have resigned from Congress long ago. • Join us on Twitter and Facebook“Many Republicans just don’t care,” wrote Zelizer. Ron Edmonds/APAs a 12-year-old girl in 1981, Traci Lovitt was riveted by the appointment of Sandra Day O’Connor as the first woman on the Supreme Court.

Persons: William James, “, James, Webster, — Taylor Swift, Elon Musk, Taylor, Jeff Yang, aplomb, Swift, Ariana Grande, Tay, bestie, ”, ” Yang, Holly Thomas, ‘, Emma Chamberlain, we’re, we’ll, We’ll, Exit George Santos, George Santos, Rosalynn Carter, Henry Kissinger, Sandra Day O’Connor, Santos, New Jersey Sen, Bob Menendez, Cupp, Mercedes, ” Santos, Menendez “, Menendez, Donald Trump, Trump, Bill Clinton, ” Clay Jones Liz Cheney’s, Liz Cheney, ” Cheney, Julian Zelizer, Cheney, Kevin McCarthy, McCarthy, ” “, craven, — Cheney, Wade, Patrick T, Brown, ’ Trump, ” Brown, Sen, John McCain, ” Nick Anderson, Agency Nikki Haley’s, Nikki Haley, Koch, Haley, Geoff Duncan, ” Duncan, Joe Biden’s, Biden, Barack Obama, ” “ Haley, Nicole Hemmer, Bill Carter, Hannity, Newsom, Henry Kissinger’s, Henry “ Kissinger, Fareed Zakaria, Kissinger, Stalin, reread Spinoza, ” Kissinger, Zakaria, ” Jeremi Suri, ” “ Kissinger, Peter Bergen, Christopher Hitchens, Henry Kissinger David Andelman, Joe Biden, Phil Hands, Frida Ghitis, it’s, Netanyahu, Ghitis, Hani Almadhoun, Almadhoun, ” Elon, Jill Filipovic, X, Dean Obeidallah, Keith Magee, Lisa Benson, GoComics.com, Dominic Erdozain, Ronald Reagan, ’, Walt Handelsman, Will Leitch, William Faulkner, Robert Frost, John Steinbeck, Leitch, … I’d, ” Don’t, Dana Summers, Agency Amy Klein, Stuart E, Carter, Carmen Cusido, Sandra Day, Sandra Day O'Connor, Ron Edmonds, Traci Lovitt, O’Connor, Lovitt, Antonin Scalia, — Organizations: CNN, Oxford, Merriam, Exit, Trump, White House, Republican, Democrat, Independent, Mar, Twitter, Facebook, Republicans, Affordable, “, Tribune, Agency, New York Times, Biden, United Nations Relief, Works Agency, Musk’s, Islamic State, America “, National Commission, Illustrated, Sports, AP, Stanford Law, Potomac Locations: Merriam, New York, New Jersey, Roe, Georgia, Siena, optimists, European, Nazi Germany, Vietnam, Cambodia, Gaza, Israel, America, America “ America, United States, Arizona

Two and a half weeks after sending tanks and ground troops into northern Gaza, Israeli forces entered a hospital early Wednesday that they claim Hamas operates out of. The Israeli army claims the militant group uses hospitals as cover for its fighters, and has set up its main command center in and beneath Shifa Hospital, the largest in the besieged territory. Both Hamas and Shifa Hospital staff deny the Israeli allegations. Both Hamas and Shifa Hospital staff deny the Israeli allegations. ISRAEL SAYS IT'S CARRYING OUT A ‘PRECISE AND TARGETED OPERATION’ INSIDE GAZA'S SHIFA HOSPITALJERUSALEM — The Israeli military says its forces have entered Gaza’s Shifa hospital, the site of a lengthy standoff.

Persons: Mohammed Zaqout, — Israel, ‘, ’, Ahmed Mhanna, ”, Jabaliya, Mhanna, NETANYAHU, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, ” Netanyahu, “, Fahrettin Koca, Koca, Hossein Amirabdollahian, Martin Griffiths, Meirav Eilon Shahar, “ Israel, ” Philippe Lazzarini, CAIRO —, Munir al, Boursh, ” Israel, Hamas ”, Paltel, Israel, ” Griffiths, Shifa, that’s, Jonas Gahr Støre, Espen Barth Eide, ” Barth Eide, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Erdogan, ” Erdogan, Israel —, Daniel Hagari, Hamas’s, ” Hagari, KHAN YOUNIS, Mohammad al, Abdallah, National Security Itamar Ben, Gvir, Nasser, Khan Younis, Catherine Russell, Russell, ” Russell, ISRAEL Organizations: Hamas, Shifa, Shifa Hospital, Health Ministry, . Security, ASEAN, AS, Awda Hospital, Awda, PEACEMAKING GROUP GENEVA, Centre, Associated Press, Iran's, Iranian, ” UN, UNRWA, United Nations, OFFICIAL, International Committee, COMMUNICATIONS COMPANY, UN OFFICIAL, Health Organization, ” FIRST, NTB, ISRAEL, TEL, Israeli Defense Forces, IDF, MINISTRY, Ministry of National Security, National Security, UNICEF, JERUSALEM Locations: Gaza, Israel, Shifa, Myanmar, Washington, israel, GAZA, CAIRO, Jabaliya, GAZA ZIKIM, Israeli, Gaza City, TURKEY ANKARA, Turkey, Egypt, Rafah, Geneva, Basque, Spain, Iranian, Iran, Palestine, ”, Territories, United States, JERUSALEM, Palestinian, GENEVA, what’s, GAZA COPENHAGEN, Denmark, Norwegian, Norway, ISRAEL ANKARA, Turkish, TEL AVIV, West Bank, Ben, Khan, SHIFA

WASHINGTON (AP) — Chinese middlemen launder the proceeds of North Korean hackers’ cyber heists while Chinese ships deliver sanctioned North Korean goods to Chinese ports. China views North Korea as a buffer against the U.S., which maintains a significant troop presence in South Korea. The U.S. has accused North Korea of supplying artillery shells and rockets to Russia, while new evidence shows Hamas fighters likely fired North Korean weapons during their Oct. 7 assault on Israel. “China violates North Korea sanctions it voted for and says won’t work because it’s afraid they’ll work. Such “over-the-counter” brokers allow North Korean hackers to bypass know-your-customer rules governing banks and other financial exchanges.

Persons: “, ” Aaron Arnold, Kim Jong Un, ”, Joshua Stanton, cryptocurrency, Anthony Ruggiero, couldn’t, hadn’t, Eric Penton, Dake Kang Organizations: WASHINGTON, North, Associated, United Nations, Royal United Services Institute, U.S, . Security, North Korean, Kremlin, AP, Treasury, government’s Ministry of Commerce, U.N, Associated Press, Carnegie Corporation of New, Outrider Foundation, Investigative@ap.org Locations: Beijing, Korea, North Korea, China, Pyongyang, South Korea, Ukraine, The U.S, Russia, Israel, North, U.S, Carnegie Corporation of New York

The U.S. Treasury Department said Tuesday it was imposing sanctions on Myanmar’s state-owned Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise, a joint venture partner in all offshore gas projects and a vital source of hard cash for the military government. Canada also imposed sanctions against 39 individuals and 22 entities in coordination with the U.K. and the U.S. The sanctions are the latest the Western governments have imposed on Myanmar’s military regime, after the army seized power from the elected civilian government of Aung San Suu Kyi on Feb. 1, 2021. The Myanmar public and human rights groups had called for sanctions targeting gas revenues shortly after the army takeover. The European Union imposed sanctions against MOGE in February last year.

Persons: —, Tom Andrews, ”, Andrews, U.N, MOGE, Aung, Suu Kyi, “, ” Brian Nelson Organizations: The U.S . Treasury Department, Gas Enterprise, Treasury Department, U.S, ”, Treasury, MOGE, European Locations: BANGKOK, United States, United Kingdom, Canada, The U.S, Myanmar, U.S, Suu, Thailand, Japan, Malaysia, India, South Korea, China

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