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☆ Iran’s Response to Protests Draws EU Sanctions Targeting Authorities
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( Laurence Norman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

European foreign ministers said Monday they would impose their broadest sanctions package against Iran in almost a decade over authorities’ crackdown on protesters, the latest sign of a chill in the relationship between European capitals and Tehran. At a meeting in Luxembourg, the European Union agreed to impose sanctions on 11 people and four entities—including Iran’s morality police and the Iranian Law Enforcement Forces, which is tasked with suppressing internal dissent—over Tehran’s harsh response against protests that have entered their second month.

BRUSSELS, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Some European Union foreign ministers on Monday called for new sanctions against Iran if Tehran's involvement in Russia's war on Ukraine is proven. Ukraine has reported a spate of Russian attacks with Iranian-made Shahed-136 drones in recent weeks. "We will look for concrete evidence about the participation (of Iran in the Ukraine war)," Josep Borrell told reporters as he arrived for a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg, adding Ukraine's Dmytro Kuleba would take part in the gathering. Additional EU sanctions on Iran will not be limited to blacklisting some individuals should Tehran's involvement in Russia's war on Ukraine be proven, Luxembourg's Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn said. "Then it will be no longer about some individuals to be sanctioned," he told reporters as he arrived for the EU meeting.

☆ EU set to train 15,000 Ukrainian troops, provide more arms funding for Kyiv
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( Sabine Siebold | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BRUSSELS, Oct 17 (Reuters) - European Union foreign ministers are expected to agree on a mission to train 15,000 Ukrainian troops from next month and an extra 500 million euros worth of funding for arms deliveries to Kyiv when they meet in Luxembourg on Monday. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterSeveral EU countries have already been instructing Ukrainian troops on how to use specific weapons and this will continue. Unlike earlier tranches, the additional money will also cover costs for repair and maintenance of weapons already delivered to Ukraine. EU foreign ministers will also discuss the transfer of Iranian drones to Russia, opening the way for potential further sanctions that could be agreed at a later date. He said the bloc's leaders would discuss China policy at a summit on Thursday and Friday, and the EU would also monitor closely the Communist Party Congress that opened on Sunday.

☆ Before-and-after photos show the moment an Iranian 'suicide drone' detonates in Russian strike on Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Multiple Ukrainian officials said Russia used Iran-made drones in the Monday morning strikes. Firefighters work after a drone fired on buildings in Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, Oct. 17, 2022 AP Photo/Roman HrytsynaSerhiy Kruk, the head of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, said three people were killed. Klitschko and other Ukrainian officials, including President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said Russia used "kamikaze drones," which are drones that explode on impact. Multiple Ukrainian officials identified the drones as ones made in Iran, which are being increasingly seen on the battlefield in Ukraine. A drone is seen during an attack on Kyiv, Ukraine, on October 17, 2022.

☆ Iran reacts to fresh EU sanctions
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

DUBAI, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Iran's foreign minister reacted on Monday to European Union sanctions levied on Tehran, calling them "superfluous" and "an unconstructive act out of miscalculation." "The EU today adopted further superfluous sanctions on Iranian persons. It is an unconstructive act out of miscalculation, based on widespread disinformation. Riots and vandalism are not tolerated anywhere; Iran is no exception," Hossein Amirabdollahian said on Twitter. EU foreign ministers added 11 Iranians and four institutions, including Iran's morality police chief, to a travel ban and asset freeze list.

☆ EU should treat China more as a competitor, says diplomat chief
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRUSSELS, Oct 17 (Reuters) - The European Union should recognise China even more as a competitor and reduce its economic dependency, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Monday, as the bloc looks to fine-tune relations with Beijing. The bloc has regarded China since 2019 as a partner, tough economic competitor and systemic rival. Borrell told reporters after Monday's ministerial meeting that the role of competitor had become more central. EU diplomats say Brussels is concerned that Xi is setting China on an increasingly authoritarian path and is uneasy about Chinese partnership with Russia. "The objective is not to change radically this policy but, obviously things have happened," one EU official said.

☆ EXCLUSIVE EU ministers to discuss Iran drones to Russia, future sanctions - sources
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( John Irish | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Iran denies supplying the drones to Russia, while the Kremlin has not commented. An EU spokesperson said foreign ministers would discuss Iran on Monday but declined to comment on whether Iranian drones or sanctions on drone transfers would be on the agenda. The United States on Sept. 9 imposed sanctions on an Iranian company it accused of coordinating military flights to transport Iranian drones to Russia and three other companies it said were involved in the production of Iranian drones. The discussion on drones comes as EU foreign ministers prepare to rubber-stamp sanctions on Iran on Monday over human rights abuses involved in the crackdown on protesters. The package of sanctions prompted Iran to send a diplomatic demarche to European ambassadors.

☆ Exclusive: EU ministers to discuss Iran drones to Russia, future sanctions, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( John Irish | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Iran denies supplying the drones to Russia, while the Kremlin has not commented. An EU spokesperson said foreign ministers would discuss Iran on Monday but declined to comment on whether Iranian drones or sanctions on drone transfers would be on the agenda. The United States on Sept. 9 imposed sanctions on an Iranian company it accused of coordinating military flights to transport Iranian drones to Russia and three other companies it said were involved in the production of Iranian drones. The discussion on drones comes as EU foreign ministers prepare to rubber-stamp sanctions on Iran on Monday over human rights abuses involved in the crackdown on protesters. It said external factors were the cause of the protests stoked by "war-mongering factions in the United States".

☆ Italy's election humbles former populist heroes Salvini and Di Maio
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( Gavin Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio listens to the opening remarks of Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi during the opening session of the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia July 8, 2022. They picked unknown lawyer Giuseppe Conte as their prime minister, a compromise figure widely seen as a puppet, and installed themselves as his two deputies to dictate policy. In the last four years Di Maio gradually shed all his populist ardour, serving as deputy premier, labour minister, industry minister and foreign minister before eventually quitting 5-Star to form his own centrist party. Eugenio Pizzimenti, politics professor at Pisa University, said that unlike the more charismatic Salvini, Di Maio's support was strongly dependent on that of his party. ECLIPSED BY MELONISalvini's popularity soared during his government with Di Maio, which he brought down after 14 months in a failed bid to become prime minister.

☆ U.S. pushes for 'constructive' India-Pakistan relations
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks after his meeting with Pakistan's Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari at the State Department in Washington, U.S., September 26, 2022. "In our discussions today, we talked about the importance of managing a responsible relationship with India," Blinken said after meeting Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, without elaborating. "The relationship we have with India stands on its own; the relationship we have with Pakistan stands on its own," Price told a news conference. "We also want to do everything we can to see to it that these neighbours have relations with one another that are as constructive as can be possible." Nuclear-armed India and Pakistan have fought three wars, mainly over the Muslim-majority Himalayan region of Kashmir.

The main challenge the Russian military faces after almost seven months at war looks likely to remain a basic one: manpower. Russia had about 1 million active personnel at the start, according to the institute’s estimates, though it did not dedicate all its troops to Ukraine. Both of these have made it hard to identify how the new additions to the Russian military could be trained or used effectively in this war. ‘New territory takes time’The “partial mobilization” comes after Ukraine’s successful counteroffensive broke through Russian lines outside Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second most populous city. The military support of mobilization and the veneer of territorial security that annexation could provide will likely take a while, however.

☆ U.S., Chinese foreign ministers to meet as Taiwan tensions rise
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-23 | by ( Humeyra Pamuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in New York on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly. The meeting comes days after Biden said U.S forces would defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion, drawing an angry response from China that said it sent the wrong signal to those seeking an independent Taiwan. In a phone call with Biden in July, China's leader Xi Jinping warned about Taiwan, saying "those who play with fire will perish by it." Beijing has long-vowed to bring Taiwan under its control and has not ruled out the use of force to do so. "This is the Chinese people's will and determination," he said according to China's Foreign Ministry.

☆ Take Five: Intervention watch is here
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Banknotes of Japanese yen and U.S. dollar are seen in this illustration picture taken September 23, 2022. Election results from Italy, euro area inflation numbers and U.S. and Chinese data also give investors plenty to chew over. Japan's authorities finally had enough of a weak yen and intervened to stem a sharp decline against the dollar. Investors have already ramped up expectations for another 75 bps, ECB rate hike in October, so the data shouldn't change the near-term rate outlook. How a new government navigates an energy crunch that is pushing highly-indebted Italy into recession will also be under scrutiny.

☆ U.N. showdown looms between Lavrov, West over atrocities in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will face off on Thursday with his Ukrainian and Western counterparts, including U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, when the United Nations Security Council meets over atrocities committed in Ukraine. Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24 as the Security Council met in New York to discuss Western concerns that Moscow was planning such a move. Ukraine, the United States and others have accused Russia of war crimes in Ukraine. The meeting on Thursday will be at least the 20th time the Security Council has met on Ukraine this year. Ukraine’s chief war crimes prosecutor told Reuters last month his office is investigating almost 26,000 suspected war crimes cases committed since Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion and has charged 135 people.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attends a ceremony of receiving letters of credence from newly-appointed foreign ambassadors at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, September 20, 2022. Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24 as the Security Council met in New York to discuss Western concerns that Moscow was planning such a move. read moreUkraine, the United States and others have accused Russia of war crimes in Ukraine. The meeting on Thursday will be at least the 20th time the Security Council has met on Ukraine this year. While it was unlikely Russia's seat at the U.N. Security Council would be left empty during the meeting, it was unclear how long Lavrov might stay in the chamber.

☆ G7 countries agree on unity in Ukraine support -Japan govt
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Ukrainian service members wait in a trench at a position in a frontline, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine September 21, 2022. REUTERS/Dmytro SmolienkoTOKYO, Sept 22 (Reuters) - Foreign ministers from the Group of Seven (G7) advanced economies confirmed in a meeting in New York on Wednesday their cooperation in extending support for Ukraine and responding to food and energy security, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said. The development came after President Vladimir Putin announced Russia's first wartime mobilisation since World War Two and moves to annex swaths of Ukrainian territory, and threatened to use nuclear weapons to defend Russia. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Kiyoshi Takenaka; Editing by Christian SchmollingerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ U.S.-led Pacific group to focus on climate, connectivity amid China concerns
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register"I think as we've seen in some instances, clearly China has ambitions in the Pacific, some of which have caused concern among Pacific Island leaders," Campbell said. But he said the group's agenda would be guided by Pacific Island countries' needs. The Blue Pacific event, held on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York, comes ahead of a Sept. 28-29 summit U.S. President Joe Biden plans to host with Pacific island leaders. Campbell added that the group was also working on increasing connectivity among island states. In a separate meeting, Blinken and his South Korean and Japanese counterparts affirmed a shared commitment to support Pacific Island countries.

Three EU diplomats in Brussels said new sanctions would centre around an oil price cap to match that agreed by the G7 most industrialised global powers - a gathering where EU states France, Germany and Italy also sit. The person added the oil cap should take effect from December, along with the EU's embargo on Russian coal, while tighter export restrictions for high-tech products are meant to hamstring Russia's battlefield capabilities. Further curbs on luxury goods exports to Russia were also on the table. Others, however, warned the latter was unlikely to get the unanimous backing of all EU countries necessary to introduce sanctions. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterWriting by Gabriela Baczynska; Editing by Kirsten DonovanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

The bloc's 27 foreign ministers are in New York for the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations. He said the ministers would discuss continuing military support for Ukraine and an eighth sanctions package on Russia. "It's clear Russia wants to destroy Ukraine," Borrell said. Wednesday's meeting should emphasize unity, move ahead quickly with a new sanctions package and use the European peace facility funding mechanism to ramp up weapons supplies to Ukraine, he said. Keeping unity among the 27 for a sanctions package may prove complex amid an energy supply crisis that has hit the bloc hard.

☆ China, Nepal agree on building a trans-Himalayan network
▼ + stars: | 2022-08-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING, Aug 11 (Reuters) - China and Nepal have agreed to build the so-called Trans-Himalayan Multi-Dimensional Connectivity Network, the Chinese foreign ministry said, following a meeting between the foreign ministers of the two countries. As part of the agreement, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said China would finance the feasibility study of a China-Nepal cross-border railway and send experts to Nepal to conduct surveys this year, Wang Wenbin, spokesperson at the foreign ministry, told a regular media briefing in Beijing on Thursday. The network, under China's Belt and Road initiative, will involve the building of railways and communication networks. During a landmark visit by President Xi Jinping to Nepal in 2019, China and Nepal elevated their relationship to a "strategic partnership". Reporting by Martin Quin Pollard; writing by Ryan Woo; editing by Jason NeelyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ China foreign minister calls Pelosi's Taiwan visit 'manic', 'irrational'
▼ + stars: | 2022-08-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

BEIJING, Aug 4 (Reuters) - China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday called U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan a "manic, irresponsible and highly irrational" action by the United States, state broadcaster CCTV reported. Wang, speaking at the ASEAN Foreign Ministers meeting in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, said China has made the utmost diplomatic effort to avert crisis, but will never allow its core interests to be hurt. China's current and future measures are necessary and timely defensive countermeasures, carefully considered and evaluated, aimed at safeguarding national sovereignty and security, in line with international and domestic law, CCTV cited Wang as saying. Reporting by Beijing Newsroom; Writing by Martin Quin Pollard; Editing by Christopher CushingOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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