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☆ TikTok: Is it really Chinese?
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Is TikTok Chinese? In March 2023, CEO Chew was repeatedly pressed by US lawmakers on whether TikTok was Chinese. According to TikTok’s own website, its subsidiaries around the world are all structured under Bytedance Ltd.Is ByteDance Chinese? At last year’s congressional hearing, Chew didn’t directly answer any questions about whether ByteDance is a Chinese company either. That means the Chinese government now owns 1% of Beijing Douyin Information Service, which is the domestic Chinese unit of Bytedance.

Persons: TikTok, Shou Chew, Trump, Chew, Jose Luis Magana, Musical.ly, TikTok’s, ByteDance, Zhang Yiming, Liang Rubo, Zhang, Liang, Jinri, Chew didn’t, Shannon Stapleton, Zhang Fuping, Xi Jinping, Wu Shugang, Shu Yuting Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, TikTok LLC, TikTok Ltd, ByteDance Ltd, Bytedance Ltd, Tianjin’s Nankai University, ByteDance, Carlyle Group, General Atlantic, Susquehanna International Group, Reuters, Communist, Cyberspace Administration, Beijing Douyin Information Service, Chinese Communist Party, National Intelligence Law, Commerce Ministry Locations: China, Hong Kong, United States, Beijing, California, Los Angles, Singapore, Delaware, Culver City , California, Cayman Islands, Shanghai, Chinese, TikTok

Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of Donald J. Trump, confirmed on Friday that he was closing in on major real estate deals in Albania and Serbia, the latest example of the former president’s family doing business abroad even as Mr. Trump seeks to return to the White House. Mr. Kushner’s plans in the Balkans appear to have come about in part through relationships built while Mr. Trump was in office. Mr. Kushner, who was a senior White House official, said he had been working on the deals with Richard Grenell, who served briefly as acting director of national intelligence under Mr. Trump and also as ambassador to Germany and special envoy to the Balkans. One of the proposed projects would be the development of an island off the coast of Albania into a luxury tourist destination. A second — with a planned luxury hotel and 1,500 residential units and a museum — is in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, at the site of the long-vacant former headquarters of the Yugoslav Army destroyed in 1999 by the NATO bombings, according to a member of Parliament in Serbia and Mr. Kushner’s company.

Persons: Jared Kushner, Donald J, Trump, Kushner’s, Kushner, Richard Grenell Organizations: Mr, White House, Yugoslav, NATO Locations: Albania, Serbia, Germany, Balkans, Belgrade

☆ Opinion: The dangers in leaving TikTok at Beijing’s disposal
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( Opinion Frida Ghitis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —For many of the 170 million TikTok users in the United States, Wednesday’s vote in the House of Representatives to effectively ban the social media platform is worrisome. That’s just one reason why it’s laughable to hear China’s foreign ministry claim that the TikTok bill would disrupt market operations and undermine investor confidence. Most of the world’s most popular social media apps, incidentally, are banned in China unless they — or their user data — are locally based and thus easily overseen by the government. She has had multiple meetings with legislators and has spoken with Trump about protecting TikTok, according to the Washington Post. The government needs to develop oversight rules for all social media.

Persons: Frida Ghitis, Donald Trump, TikTok, Shou Chew, “, Jack Ma —, Xiao Jianhua, National Intelligence Avril Haines, Trump, ” Trump, ”, Jeff Yass, Kellyanne Conway, Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg Organizations: CNN, Washington Post, Politics, ByteDance, Frida Ghitis CNN, Pew Research, Facebook, Oracle, National Intelligence, Rutgers University, Air Force One, Microsoft, Trump, Citizens United Locations: United States, Washington, Russia, TikTok, Beijing, That’s, China, Israel, Tibet, Hong Kong, USSR

☆ The US Army has its eyes on the Arctic and is readying soldiers for the cold, unforgiving wastes that could be their next battlefield
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

AdvertisementThe two-week JPMRC Alaska training exercise involved over 8,000 troops from the 11th Airborne Division, as well as international allies and partners. Brandon VasquezBack in 2021, the US Army released its new strategy on regaining Arctic dominance, leading to the reorganization of its Alaskan forces and priorities. AdvertisementAll Arctic nations are keeping an eye on what could be seen as increased access to energy, minerals, and resources in the Arctic. AdvertisementU.S. Army Soldiers assigned to the 11th Airborne Division patrol on snow machines during the Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center 24-02 exercise at Donnelly Training Area, Alaska, Feb. 17, 2024. For that reason, the Army appears to be encouraging its Arctic soldiers to be creative and able to adapt to whatever conditions or situations they might encounter.

Persons: —, Col, Sean Lucas, JPMRC, Brandon Vasquez, Spc.Wyatt Moore, Abreanna Goodrich, China —, I've, Zachary Burns, Sammantha Ohm, Joseph Gaskin Organizations: US, Army, Service, US Army Pacific's, Pacific Multinational Readiness Center, Business, 11th Airborne Division, U.S ., 1st Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Airborne Division, Pacific Multinational Readiness, U.S, US Army, U.S . Army, 3rd Battalion, 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 11th Airborne, Donnelly Training, Public Affairs Detachment, National Intelligence, Spc, Department of Defense, Army Spc, 5th Squadron, 1st Calvary Regiment, Delta Co Locations: Russia, China, Fairbanks , Alaska, Alaska, Hawaii, U.S, Utqiagvik, Soviet Union, Canada, Denmark, Russian, JPMRC

☆ U.S. spy chief 'cannot rule out' that China would use TikTok to influence U.S. elections
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

China could use social media app TikTok to influence the 2024 U.S. elections, U.S. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told a House of Representatives intelligence committee hearing on Tuesday. China could use social media app TikTok to influence the 2024 U.S. elections, U.S. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told a House of Representatives intelligence committee hearing on Tuesday. Asked by Democratic Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi if China's ruling Communist Party, or CCP, would use TikTok to influence the elections, Haines said: "We cannot rule out that the CCP would use it." Krishnamoorthi is also the ranking Democrat on the House select committee on China. The House is due to vote on Wednesday under fast-track rules that require two-thirds of members to vote "yes" for the measure to win passage.

Persons: National Intelligence Avril Haines, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Haines, Mike Gallagher, ByteDance, Joe Biden Organizations: National Intelligence, Democratic, Communist Party, CCP, Republican, Senate Locations: China

☆ Problems in China have US intelligence worried the rising military power may become 'even more aggressive and unpredictable'
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

China may act "even more" aggressively and unpredictably thanks to its domestic problems, US intel said. China's demographic issues, as well as economic challenges, put its leadership and military in difficult positions. US intel suggested China's global leadership and military ambitions are meeting resistance. AdvertisementAs China grapples with mounting domestic challenges, its already concerning behavior on the world stage may become even more aggressive and unpredictable, according to US intelligence. "China's serious demographic and economic challenges may make it an even more aggressive and unpredictable global actor," the threat assessment said.

Persons: —, Xi Jinping, Yang Jie, That's Organizations: intel, Service, US Intelligence Community, National Intelligence, Pentagon, People's Liberation Army Navy, Getty, Democratic Progressive Party's, East China, East China Seas, Liberation Army, Chinese Communist Party, CCP, Force Locations: China, United States, China's, Zhanjiang, Guangdong Province, Xinhua, Taiwan, Beijing, South, East, East China Seas, Philippine, PRC, People's Republic of China, Hefei, Anhui province, COVID

☆ US intel chief says she can’t rule out possibility that China will use TikTok to influence 2024 elections
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —US intelligence officials “cannot rule out” the possibility that the Chinese government will use TikTok to influence the 2024 US elections, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told lawmakers on Tuesday. “We regularly take action against deceptive behavior, including covert influence networks throughout the world, and have been transparent in reporting them publicly,” a TikTok spokesperson told CNN. China is showing “a higher degree of sophistication in its influence activity,” including by experimenting with generative artificial intelligence, according to the report. The Chinese government routinely denies US allegations of election influence. “Even if Beijing sets limits on these activities, individuals not under its direct supervision may attempt election influence activities they perceive are in line with Beijing’s goals.”

Persons: National Intelligence Avril Haines, Haines, “, ”, TikTok, Christopher Wray, Wray, ByteDance, Moscow’s, Xi Jinping, Joe Biden Organizations: CNN, National Intelligence, Intelligence, U.S, Republican, Facebook, Twitter, Capitol, House Intelligence Committee, Foreign Ministry Locations: China, Russia, Iran, New York, Washington, Los Angeles, U.S, Beijing

☆ US intelligence report states Netanyahu’s viability to lead Israel is in jeopardy
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( Katie Bo Lillis | Michael Conte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —The US intelligence community assesses Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s “viability as a leader” to be “in jeopardy,” according to its annual report on the national security threats facing the United States that was presented to Congress on Monday. The intelligence report notes that the Israeli population broadly supports the destruction of Hamas. It offers an around-the-world unclassified snapshot of how the intelligence community views the panoply of national security threats facing the United States. Beijing, according to the report, has more than tripled its export of goods with potential military use to Russia since Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine in 2022. China has provided “economy and security assistance to Russia’s war in Ukraine through support to Russia’s defense industrial base, including by providing dual-use material and components for weapons,” the report states.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu’s, ”, ” Netanyahu, Joe Biden, Biden, Netanyahu, Israel, “, Chris Wray, I’ve, ” Wray, Sen, Mark Warner of, Republican Sen, Jim Risch of, ” Warner, ” Risch, “ I’ve, National Intelligence Avril Haines, Bill Burns, Burns, Ukraine “, you’re, ” Burns Organizations: CNN, ISIS, Hamas, Senate, Congressional, Republican, Warner, Democratic, National Intelligence, CIA Locations: United States, Israel, Gaza, Mark Warner of Virginia, Jim Risch of Idaho, Ukraine, Russia, Beijing, Moscow, China

☆ Trump says a TikTok ban would empower Meta, slams Facebook as 'enemy of the people'
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump on Monday raised concerns about efforts to ban Chinese-owned social media app TikTok in the U.S., saying it would only serve to empower Meta's Facebook platform. "Without TikTok, you can make Facebook bigger, and I consider Facebook to be an enemy of the people," Trump, who was formerly U.S. president between 2017 and 2021, said in a CNBC TV interview on Monday. Acknowledging his concerns around national security and data privacy over TikTok, Trump said "there's a lot of good and there's a lot of bad" with the platform. China's National Intelligence Law of 2017 requires organizations and citizens to "support, assist and cooperate with the state intelligence work." In 2020, the Trump administration unsuccessfully tried to have TikTok removed from app stores in the U.S. due to these concerns.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, ByteDance Organizations: Facebook, CNBC, Meta, National Intelligence, TikTok, Microsoft, TikTok's Locations: U.S, Beijing

In Florida, Trump’s attorneys told Judge Aileen Cannon his Mar-a-Lago classified documents case should wait until after the 2024 election. But both hearings could have a significant impact on when – or whether – Trump will face trial in each of those two cases. The only case that appears set: Trump’s New York criminal trial will begin March 25, which Trump’s attorneys said was a “firm” date in court Friday. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis attends a hearing on the Georgia election interference case on Friday in Atlanta. When Trump’s attorneys argued for the hearing, Cannon pushed them to describe how they could narrow its scope and asked them to lay out specifically what a hearing would examine.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Aileen Cannon, Scott McAfee, Fani Willis, Nathan Wade, – Trump, Jack Smith’s, Willis, Wade, McAfee, Craig Gillen, Alex Slitz, “ We’ve, ”, Gillen, David Shafer, “, ” Gillen, Cannon, Jack Smith, –, Todd Blanche, ” Blanche, Jay Bratt, ” Bratt, ” Cannon, Trump, David Harbach, Biden, Harbach, Emil Bove, ” McAfee, Terrence Bradley, Donald Trump, Steve Sadow, Bradley –, What’s, they’ve, They’ve, Sadow, Bradley, ” Sadow Organizations: CNN, Trump, Fulton, Georgia Republican, “ Prosecutors, ”, Justice Department, Prosecutors, Biden White, FBI Locations: Florida, Georgia, Fulton County, Washington, York, Atlanta

☆ 2 Scientists in Canada Passed On Secrets to China, Investigations Find
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Ian Austen | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Two scientists who worked at Canada’s top microbiology lab passed on secret scientific information to China, and one of them was a “realistic and credible threat to Canada’s economic security,” documents from the national intelligence agency and a security investigation show. Canadian universities can now be disqualified from federal funding if they enter into partnerships with any of 100 institutions in China, Russia and Iran. The release of the documents was the subject of a prolonged debate in Parliament that began before the last federal election, in September 2021. Opposition parties asked to see the records at least four times and found the Liberal government to be in contempt of Parliament in 2021. The government filed a lawsuit in an attempt to keep the records hidden, but dropped it when the vote was called.

Persons: Xiangguo Qiu, Keding Cheng Organizations: Commons, Liberal Locations: China, Russia, Iran

☆ North Korean factories making arms for Russia are ‘operating at full capacity,’ South Korea says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Yoonjung Seo | Helen Regan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Seoul, South Korea CNN —North Korea’s munitions factories are “operating at full capacity” to produce weapons and shells for Russia, according to South Korea’s defense minister, as Moscow’s devastating war in Ukraine grinds into a third year. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visits a munitions factory at an undisclosed location on January 10, 2024. CNN has reached out to South Korea’s defense ministry for comment on the US’ estimate but has not yet received a response. The White House confirmed last month that Russia has been firing North Korean missiles at Ukrainian cities. The US and its allies are also concerned about the technology North Korea is seeking from Russia in return for weaponry.

Persons: Korean Defense Minister Shin Won, sik, Kim Jong Un, ” Shin, Volodymyr Zelensky, Avdiivka, Zelensky, Joe Biden’s, Vladimir Putin Organizations: South Korea CNN, South, Korean Defense Minister, KCNA, Reuters, US State Department, CNN, Ukraine, Kyiv, West, North, Intelligence, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service, White House, Korean Locations: Seoul, South Korea, Russia, South, Ukraine, Korea, Washington, Pyongyang, North, Russian, North Korea, Avdiivka, Moscow, Russia’s

☆ Opinion: The biggest potential danger from the Hur report is one no one’s talking about
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Opinion Gary Ross | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —Over the past year, we’ve seen an alarming wave of current or former senior government officials who reportedly failed to properly safeguard classified information. The clearest threat is that our adversaries can more easily gain access to classified material and the sensitive information it contains. This increases the likelihood that an adversary would succeed in accessing any classified documents stored at these locations. Our adversaries are not the only ones observing how well we safeguard sensitive information. Finally, US intelligence community employees, bound by the same oath to safeguard classified information, may come to question the seriousness of their obligation.

Persons: Gary Ross, Ross, we’ve, Donald Trump’s Mar, Joe Biden, Mike Pence, Pence, Trump, Robert Hur’s, Biden, ” Organizations: Texas, Bush School ,, Department of Defense, Office, National Intelligence and Department of Homeland Security, Bush, CNN, Biden, Justice Department, Trump, of Justice, US, US Justice Department, Lago Club . US Department of Justice, CIA, Intelligence Service Locations: Bush School , Washington, DC, United States, Delaware

☆ Opinion: The Hur report points to a huge danger that one no one’s talking about
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Opinion Gary Ross | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Persons: Gary Ross, Ross, we’ve, Donald Trump’s Mar, Joe Biden, Mike Pence, Pence, Trump, Robert Hur’s, Biden, Hur, ” Organizations: Texas, Bush School ,, Department of Defense, Office, National Intelligence and Department of Homeland Security, Bush, CNN, Biden, Justice Department, Trump, of Justice, US, US Justice Department, Lago Club . US Department of Justice, CIA, Intelligence Service Locations: Bush School , Washington, DC, United States, Delaware

☆ Exclusive: Russia attempting to develop nuclear space weapon to destroy satellites with massive energy wave, sources familiar with intel say
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Katie Bo Lillis | Jim Sciutto | Kristin Fisher | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The weapon is still under development and is not yet in orbit, Biden administration officials have emphasized publicly. But Russia has recently made progress in its efforts to develop a nuclear EMP — a related but far more alarming technology. This would almost certainly be “a last-ditch weapon” for Russia, the US official and other sources said — because it would do the same damage to whatever Russian satellites were also in the area. According to those sources, the intelligence community is now scrambling to figure out how to preserve its access. Russia has withdrawn from several arms control treaties in recent years, leaving the post-Cold War arms control architecture all but gutted.

Persons: Mike Turner of, Joe Biden, Turner, Biden, ”, John Kirby, “, ” Kirby Organizations: CNN, Republican, House Intelligence, The Defense Department, National Security, National Intelligence, Defense Department, National Security Council, Pentagon, Capitol, Biden Locations: Russia, –, Mike Turner of Ohio, Washington, Russian, Earth, America, Ukraine, Moscow

☆ US raises concerns about cozying relations between Russia and North Korea
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Katie Bo Lillis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

In January, high-ranking North Korean and Russian diplomats met in Moscow in advance of what North Korean state media says is a forthcoming visit to Pyongyang by Russian President Vladimir Putin himself — his first in more than 20 years. Trade with Russia could also further weaken the sanctions regime the US has placed on North Korea, also accelerating its economy and potentially bolstering its arms development program. As always with North Korea, deciphering how the hermit kingdom may respond is like reading chicken bones. For weeks, a blog post on an influential North Korea watchers website written by two former analysts circulated within the US government. If anything, some analysts believe, North Korea’s public statements signal that North Korea is abandoning its reunification policy in pursuit of peace on the peninsula.

Persons: Kim Jong, Vladimir Putin, —, Biden, Jake Sullivan, Kim, ”, “, ” Jeffrey Lewis, Lewis, ” Lewis, Sydney Seiler, Seiler, ” Kim doesn’t, “ That’s, “ Kim, it’s, We’re, ” Seiler, we’ll Organizations: CNN, North, Russia, Intelligence, White House, DPRK, Democratic People’s, Middlebury Institute of International Studies, North Korean, National Intelligence Council, US Locations: North Korea, Washington, South Korea, Russia, Moscow, Pyongyang, Russian, Korea, Democratic People’s Republic, Soviet Union, United States, North, China, Beijing, Japan, Korean

☆ Signs of Rare Unrest Among North Korean Workers in China, Researchers Say
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +5 min

By Ju-min ParkSEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea's intelligence agency says poor conditions for North Koreans working overseas have led to "incidents and accidents", while researchers report rare protests and unrest in China among workers from a North Korean military-linked trading company. Fed up with unpaid wages and lingering pandemic lockdowns, as many as 3,000 North Korean workers in China staged protests last month, according to two South Korean government-affiliated researchers, including a former North Korean diplomat. The North Korean embassy in Beijing and its consular office in the Chinese border city of Dandong did not respond to calls from Reuters seeking comment. South Korea's unification ministry said in a report last year that China and Russia were hosting North Korean workers despite the sanctions. That's not easy now, given the North Korean regime wants to keep them in China to raise money for the government."

Persons: Cho Han, Cho, Ko Young, Ko, Jimin Jung, Josh Smith, Eduardo Baptista, Antoni Slodkowski, Laurie Chen, Gerry Doyle Organizations: North, . State, Korea Institute for National, South, Korea's National Intelligence Service, Security, Koreans, U.S . State Department, NIS Locations: SEOUL, China, North Korean, Beijing, Dandong, North Koreans, North Korea, Pyongyang, Korean, Helong, Jilin province, Jilin, Russia, Seoul

☆ Canadian Ex-Intelligence Official Is Sentenced to 14 Years Over State Secrets
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Ian Austen | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A former civilian director of an elite intelligence unit in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police was sentenced to 14 years in prison on Wednesday after his conviction last year of giving confidential operational information to four men who were targets of police investigations. Mr. Ortis will get credit for the six and a half years he had spent in jail while awaiting trial and following his conviction in November. The case was the first time that charges under Canada’s 1985 Security of Information Act had been brought to trial. The act’s provisions meant that Mr. Ortis was “permanently bound to secrecy,” therefore his testimony was conducted in secret with only censored transcripts made public. Other evidence has been kept secret.

Persons: Cameron Ortis, Ortis, ” Organizations: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

☆ The NSA buys Americans’ internet data, newly released documents show
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Washington CNN —The National Security Agency has been buying Americans’ web browsing data from commercial data brokers without warrants, intelligence officials disclosed in documents made public by a US senator Thursday. The purchases involve what Nakasone described as netflow data, or the technical information generated by devices as they use the internet. Nakasone added that the NSA does not purchase cellphone location data of Americans or location data generated by automotive infotainment systems in the United States. “NSA purchases commercially available Netflow data for its cybersecurity mission, to include but not limited to inform the Agency’s collection, analysis, and dissemination of cyber threat intelligence,” an NSA official said. As part of Thursday’s announcement, Wyden wrote a letter to the Biden administration urging it to stop the warrantless surveillance of Americans through the purchases of internet data.

Persons: Oregon Democratic Sen, Ron Wyden, Biden, ”, Paul Nakasone, Wyden, Nakasone, “, Ronald Moultrie, Allison Nixon, ” Nixon, Timothy Haugh, ” Wyden, Avril Haines, Haines, Lina Khan, CNN’s Sean Lyngaas Organizations: Washington CNN, National Security Agency, Oregon Democratic, Pentagon, CNN, The New York Times, NSA, Defense Department, cyberattacks, Defense Intelligence Agency, Federal Trade Commission, InMarket Media, FTC Locations: Oregon, United States, U.S

☆ US secretly warned Iran before ISIS terror attack
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Natasha Bertrand | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —The US secretly warned Iran that ISIS was planning a potential terror attack inside Iran’s borders before the group carried out a deadly attack near the burial site of slain military commander Qasem Soleimani on January 3, according to a US official. The private warning was based on intelligence the US had obtained about ISIS’ plans and was given to Iran based on the US government’s “duty to warn” policy, the official said. “Prior to ISIS’ terrorist attack on January 3, 2024, in Kerman, Iran, the US government provided Iran with a private warning that there was a terrorist threat within Iranian borders,” the official said. “The US government followed a longstanding ‘duty to warn’ policy that has been implemented across administrations to warn governments against potential lethal threats. We provide these warnings in part because we do not want to see innocent lives lost in terror attacks.”The Iranian government was ultimately unable to stop the ISIS attack, which was the deadliest in Iran since its 1979 revolution.

Persons: Qasem Soleimani, “, ” Organizations: CNN, ISIS, Wall Street, UN, National Intelligence Locations: Iran, Kerman

☆ 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

☆ Iran-backed groups in the Middle East and major US military deployments
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | Abbas Allawati | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

The US has attacked Iranian-backed groups in Yemen, Syria and Iraq, while Iran-linked groups have targeted American personnel in Iraq and Syria. The US, having been trying to pivot away from the Middle East for years, finds itself drawn back into the region. And in some places, including Iraq and Syria, the US military presence overlaps that of Iran and its allies. The US has around 13,500 US forces in Kuwait, the largest American military presence in the region. The US this month quietly reached an agreement that extends its military presence for another 10 years at the base.

Persons: Yemen’s, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Harakat, Sayyid, Al, Haq, Asad, Bashar al, Assad, Israel, Ali, Dalton Williams Organizations: UAE CNN, Hamas, Islamic, Navy, Marine Expeditionary Unit, Institute for National Security, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, National Intelligence, Badr Organization, Asad Air Base, Erbil AB, Al, Force, Fatemiyoun, ISIS, Syria Security, Syrian Democratic Forces, Syrian Free Army, CNN, Gaza, US Air Force, Battalion, 163rd Cavalry Regiment, Ali Al Salem Air Base, U.S . Air Force, Washington, United Arab, US, Udeid, Base, Forward Headquarters, Combined Air Operations Centre, Prince Sultan Air Base, UAE, Al Dhafra, Al Dhafra Air Base, Gulf Air Warfare Center, US Naval Forces Central Command Locations: Abu Dhabi, UAE, Israel, Iran, US, Iranian, Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Tehran, Pakistan, Islamic Republic, Washington, Lebanon Lebanon, East, Lebanon, Gaza, Tel Aviv, Iraq Tehran, Baghdad, Al, Erbil, Syria Iran, Syrian, Pakistani, ”, Red, Saudi, Yemen’s, Kuwait, U.S, Palestinian, Arab, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Germany, Japan, South Korea, Qatar, Doha, Al Dhafra Air, Bahrain, Jordan, Incirlik

Lawmakers have conveyed as much directly to the White House, a US official told CNN. Biden met with House and Senate lawmakers at the White House on Wednesday to outline what is at stake for Ukraine. House Speaker Mike Johnson makes a statement alongside Reps. Mike Turner, Mike Rogers and Mike McCaul on January 17, outside the White House. Privately, some US and Western officials say there could be as many as five more years of fighting. In the near term, Ukraine may be able to hang on, albeit in a stalemate, without US support, a Western intelligence source said.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, Jake Sullivan, National Intelligence Avril Haines, Mike Johnson, I’ve, ‘, ’ ” Johnson, CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, ”, ” Biden, Mike Turner, Mike Rogers, Mike McCaul, Samuel Corum, Donald Trump, Trump, Mike Quigley, CNN Max, “ He’s, Putin, outlast, “, Sen, Lindsey Graham, Michael McCaul, ” Said, Kostiantyn, don’t, Volodymyr Zelensky, Gitanas Nauseda, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Ints Kalnins, ” Zelenskyy, ” Trump, Alexi J . Rosenfeld, frontloading Organizations: CNN, Ukraine, White, Pentagon, Defense, National Intelligence, White House, NATO, Republicans, Getty, Kyiv, ” Democratic, Administration, Trump, Republican, Biden, Ukrainian National Guard, Army Tactical Missile Systems, Reuters, Russian Central Bank Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Afghanistan, Kyiv, Europe, Ukrainian, Kreminna, Donetsk Oblast, Moscow, Iran, North Korea, Crimea, Sevastopol, Melitopol, Vilnius, Lithuania, New York City, West

☆ 17 Trump Cabinet-Level Appointees Criticizing Trump - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Sarah Longwell | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +13 min

Mr. Trump churned through cabinet-level appointees so fast that at times it seemed like he was still on “The Apprentice” and had to fire one official every week. Not only are they people whom Mr. Trump chose — he claimed he would hire the “best people” — they are people who thought Mr. Trump was worth working for. Judging only by the words of many former high-level appointees, a second Trump term would be catastrophic for the country. BlamedTrump forJan. 6 CriticizedTrump duringhis term CriticizedTrump afterhis term HighlightedTrump’s legalissues Ruled outvoting Trumpin 2024 Moron,” Mr. Tillerson reportedly said of Mr. Trump. He wrote an op-ed published just after the 2020 election claiming that Mr. Trump would “concede gracefully” if he lost.

Persons: them.They, Donald Trump, Trump’s, ’ Said, Donald Trump’s, Trump, didn’t, —, Mr, Richard Nixon, Mark Milley, Milley, ” Richard Spencer, Eddie Gallagher’s, ” H.R, McMaster, ” James Mattis, ” Mark, George Floyd, ” John Kelly White, autocrats, Loyalists Elaine Chao, George W, Bush, ” Alex Azar, Rex Tillerson, “, ” Mr, Tillerson, Dan Coats, ” Betsy DeVos, Mick Mulvaney, ’, William Barr, George H.W, George H.W . Bush, ” John Bolton, Ronald Reagan, …, Mike Pompeo, ” Mike Pence, Mike Pence ”, Pence, ” Organizations: Mr, Republican, Trump, Army, Joint Chiefs, Staff, Jan, Marines, Navy, White House, Defense, Marine, ISIL, ” John Kelly White House, Homeland, Marine Corps, The, Loyalists, Transportation, Labor, Capitol, Health, Human Services, State, ExxonMobil, National Intelligence, Mar, Education, Republican Party of Michigan, Management, ” John Bolton White House, U.S, United Nations, White Locations: Iowa, Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Jan, United States, America, Moron, Germany, Mar, South Carolina, George H.W ., Kansas, Indiana

☆ Turkish Strikes Hit Water, Power Infrastructure in Syria’s Kurdish-Held Northeast
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-15 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Turkey has carried out a wave of air strikes on electricity and oil infrastructure in Syria's Kurdish-held northeast that has put several power stations out of service, local sources and Syrian state media said on Monday. Hogir Najar, a media official at the Kurdish-run autonomous administration, told Reuters that at least 40 sites had been hit in Turkish shelling in the last two days, including power stations, water pumping stations and oil infrastructure. Syrian state television also reported the strikes on Monday, saying a Turkish drone had hit the Dirbasiyah power station and that Turkish air bombardment hit a power transfer station in the main town of Qamishli. Two water stations were also put out of service as Turkish strikes on Monday had cut off their electricity supply, Syria's state news agency SANA said. The air strikes destroyed targets consisting of caves, shelters and depots as well as a natural gas production facility, the ministry said in a statement on Sunday.

Persons: Hogir, Najar, SANA, Hussein Seifo, We're, Maya Gebeily, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Reuters, Kurdistan Workers Party, European Union, Turkey's National Intelligence Agency, MIT, Anadolu Agency Locations: BEIRUT, Turkey, Kurdish, Turkish, Qamishli, Syria, United States, Iraq, Anadolu

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