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☆ From Russia to the Middle East: Why China can’t afford another big conflict
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Now, as Israel’s war against Palestinian militant group Hamas threatens to spiral into a broader conflict that could shatter stability in the Middle East, China has called for a ceasefire while criticizing Israel’s actions. It also highlights China’s deep economic interests in both Russia and the Middle East, which it wants to safeguard at all cost. The world’s second largest economy depends on Russia and the Middle East for much of its energy needs. The Middle East is also a cornerstone in the Belt and Road Initiative. “Regional conflagration means long instability and long instability means no business for China in the Middle East,” he added.

Persons: ”, Eswar Prasad, refiners, Vladimir Putin, Xi, Sergei Guneyev, Russia’s, Putin, Russia —, Wang Yi, Jean, Loup Samaan, Joe Biden, QatarEnergy, Ahmed Aboudouh, Antony Blinken, Blinken, “ Organizations: Hong Kong CNN —, Moscow, Palestinian, Cornell University, Getty, Initiative, Shanghai’s Fudan University, United, China’s, Middle East Institute of, National University of Singapore, Wednesday, Jihad, Energy, China Petroleum & Chemical Co, Sinopec, Fudan University, Chatham House, US Department of State Locations: China, Hong Kong, Hong Kong CNN — Beijing, Ukraine, East, Palestine, Israel, United States, Russia, Beijing, Moscow, Saudi Arabia, Russian, AFP, Pakistan, Iran, Hamas, Tehran, Gaza, Qatar, China’s, Qatari, London, “, Persian, ”

☆ Climate: French Development Agency CEO discusses the role of national development banks
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailClimate: French Development Agency CEO discusses the role of national development banksRémy Rioux, CEO of the French Development Agency, discusses the International Monetary Fund and World Bank meetings in Marrakech.

Organizations: French Development Agency, International Monetary Fund, World Bank Locations: Marrakech

They are mostly looking for secondhand clothing, sifting through underwear for pairs that seem new or trying on shoes despite getting pushed around in the crush. Despite the popularity, secondhand clothes are facing increasing pushback. And we get all documents for that.”The Green Shops are environmentally friendly because they recycle used clothes in bulk, he said. Not surprisingly, many people would rather buy used clothing, she said. Abdulrashid Ssuuna, who tries to persuade customers in the market to stop by his brother’s used clothing business, said a ban would deny him a livelihood.

Persons: —, “, Yoweri Museveni, ” Museveni, Uganda —, Kalungi, ”, ” Kalungi, Allan Zavuga, ” Zavuga, Abdulrashid Ssuuna, Ssuuna, Tadeo Walusimbi, ” Walusimbi Organizations: Downtown, U.S . Agency for International Development, East African Community Locations: KAMPALA, Uganda, East Africa, U.S, Africa, Burundi, Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, Washington, In Uganda, China, Germany, Kampala, Ugandan

☆ Belt and Road Forum: Beijing to host global gathering as Xi Jinping lays out China's vision
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-15 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Russia’s Vladimir Putin, whose on-going assault on Ukraine is another major point of global instability and division, is expected to attend. The last time he was in Beijing was for the Winter Olympics opening ceremony in early 2022. Winning backing for China’s global leadership from a broad swath of developing and emerging economies is key to Xi’s strategy to push back against perceived international threats, analysts say. Overseas development finance from China’s two major development banks has also decreased significantly since a peak in 2016, the report’s data show. Ten years on, Chinese decision makers are becoming “more selective and more calculating” about the benefits of their financing, she said.

Persons: Xi Jinping, laud China’s, –, weren’t, Russia’s Vladimir Putin, ”, Craig Singleton, “, Kenya . Han Xu, Li Mingjiang, ” Jonathan Fulton, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Cyril Ramaphosa, Narendra Modi, Sergei Lavrov, Alet Pretorius, ” It’s, Liang, Yun Sun Organizations: CNN, Global, Initiative, Foundation for Defense, Democracies, Getty, Communist Party, Hamas, Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University, Officials, Atlantic Council, Indian, Russia's, Boston University Global Development, Center, World Bank, Overseas, China’s National, Reform, China Program, Stimson Locations: China, Beijing, United States, Israel, Gaza, Ukraine, Ukraine’s, Washington, Kenya ., Xinhua, Russia, Moscow, China’s, Abu Dhabi, Fulton, Johannesburg, New Delhi, saddling

☆ Phoenix's big moment: How Mayor Kate Gallego is capitalizing on the 'semiconductor revolution' to establish the next global city
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( Jacob Zinkula | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Phoenix, Arizona, is the center of the US's burgeoning semiconductor chip industry . "We're still trying to prove ourselves as an important global city," Gallego told Insider. AdvertisementAdvertisementPhoenix's semiconductor industry could face some challengesIn the years ahead, Phoenix's economy and international reputation seem poised to benefit from the semiconductor boom. The first of the two TSMC chip factories has faced construction delays and accusations of management and safety issues. "It is the most complex project that I have seen in our city," Gallego said of TSMC's Phoenix factory.

Persons: isn't, Kate Gallego, —, We're, Gallego, Joe Biden, Gina Raimondo, she's, Patrick Semansky, wasn't, Jacob Zinkula, there's Organizations: Service, Philadelphia, Intel, US, Harvard, Phoenix, . Airlines, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, AP, Deloitte Locations: Phoenix, Arizona, , Arizona, United States, isn't, Taiwan, Asia, New Mexico, South Korea, Japan, California

☆ Taiwan urges progress on EU investment deal as bloc courts chip firms
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( Ben Blanchard | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Taiwan National Development Council Minister Kung Ming-hsin poses during an interview with Reuters in Taipei, Taiwan, April 23, 2021. Taiwan has repeatedly pushed for the conclusion of a Bilateral Investment Agreement (BIA) with the EU, saying it would help encourage more Taiwanese investment, especially from chip companies. The EU identified Taiwan as a candidate for a BIA in 2015, but no talks have taken place on the issue. "On the basis of this mutual trust... can you tell EU headquarters, on the BIA, can it start, effectively moving it forward?" A Taiwanese government official said last month that Taiwan is seeking other trade agreements with the EU given the BIA is a "long shot".

Persons: Taiwan National Development Council Minister Kung Ming, hsin, Ben Blanchard, Development Council Minister Kung Ming, Tsai Ing, Tsai, John Stonestreet Organizations: Taiwan National Development Council Minister, Reuters, REUTERS, Rights, European Union, BIA, European, EU, Development Council Minister, Trade Organisation, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp, chipmaker, Thomson Locations: Taiwan, Taipei, Rights TAIPEI, EU, Europe, Asia, China, Beijing, Germany

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Colombian President Gustavo Petro’s commitment to transform long-marginalized rural and conflict areas and new peace efforts were the highlights of his first year in office, the U.N. special envoy for the South American country said. More than 14,000 FARC fighters gave up their weapons under that agreement, but violence between some rebel groups has grown in parts of Colombia. Leyva said the council resolution states that the justice component should apply to all who participated directly or indirectly in the conflict. Wood reiterated the U.S. commitment to working with Colombia to implement the 2016 peace agreement. Ambassador Barbara Woodward also welcomed the government’s recent progress on rural reform and restitution of land to Indigenous communities.

Persons: Gustavo Petro’s, Carlos Ruiz Massieu, ”, Colombia’s, Alvaro Leyva, —, Petro, ” Leyva, Leyva, Robert Wood, ” Wood, Wood, Britain’s U.N, Barbara Woodward, Ruiz ’ Organizations: UNITED NATIONS, South, . Security, Revolutionary Armed Forces, Council, National Development, Security, National Liberation Army, EMC, Colombian, Colombia ” Locations: Colombia, U.S, “, Colombian

The White House has been working urgently in the past 24 hours to get a Senate confirmation process in motion for President Joe Biden's nominee to be U.S. ambassador to Israel, according to two White House officials. But the White House officials said they hope lawmakers in both parties will agree with the president on the need to quickly confirm Lew amid the war between Israel and Hamas. "Everyone understands the importance behind it," one White House official said. Tom Nides, Biden's former ambassador to Israel, told NBC News in an interview that the Senate needs to confirm his successor "immediately" upon return. One official said Lew is "eager" to get to work, and the White House hopes he is confirmed with bipartisan support.

Persons: Jack Lew, Joe Biden's, Obama, Biden, Lew, Tom Nides, Nides, Sen, Chris Murphy, Israel, Chris Coons, Coons, hasn't, Ted Cruz, Bill Clinton Organizations: International Monetary Fund, World Bank Group, IMF, White, Foreign Relations, White House, West Bank, Palestinian Health Ministry, NBC News, Connecticut, U.S, State, Counterterrorism, U.S . Agency for International Development, USAID, Republicans, Senate, Washington, Management, Israel, Organization, Economic Locations: Europe, Washington , DC, Israel, Gaza, U.S, Oman, Kuwait, Egypt, Ted Cruz of Texas

☆ As Azerbaijan claims final victory in Nagorno Karabakh, arms trade with Israel comes under scrutiny
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( Max Saltman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +16 min

Israeli ‘realpolitik’Young ethnic Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh in the town of Goris during evacuations to Armenia on October 1. Hayk Baghdasaryan/Photolure/AP Ethnic Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh drive to Goris on September 28. Vahan Stepanyan/PAN Photo/AP Volunteers distribute food to ethnic Armenians arriving in Goris from Nagorno-Karabakh on September 28. Alain Jocard/AFP/Getty Images Ethnic Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh line up to receive humanitarian aid at a temporary camp in Goris on September 26. Wezeman, the researcher at SIPRI, said Israel could come under pressure from its Western allies to reconsider arms sales to Azerbaijan.

Persons: CNN —, Marut Vanyan, “ I’m, ”, “, Vanyan, Leonid Nersisyan, Rishon Le, Jack Guez, …, Pieter Wezeman, ” Wezeman, Emmanuel Dunand, Efraim Inbar, ” Inbar, Israel ’, Inbar, LORA, ” Hikmet Ajiyev, Ilham Aliyev, realpolitik, Diego Herrera Carcedo, Sergey Astsetryan, Aziz Karimov, Hayk, Vahan Stepanyan, Vasily Krestyaninov, Alain Jocard, Anatoly Matlsev, David Harapetyan, Irakli Gedenidze, Reuters Greta, Anthony Pizzoferrato, Samantha Power, Power, Astrig Agopian, Novlet, David Ghahramanyan, Israel Organizations: CNN, Azerbaijan, Applied Policy Research Institute, Israel Aerospace Industries, IAI, Autonomous Robotics, Getty, Haaretz, Artsakh Defense Army –, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense, Israeli Ministry of Defense, Ovda Airport, Israel, Jerusalem Institute for Strategy, “, APRI, Artsakh Defense Army, Reuters, AP, Erebuni, PAN, AP Volunteers, Karabakh, Technologies, US Agency for International Development, Volunteers, Vehicles, Red Cross, People, Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union Locations: Nagorno, Karabakh, Stepanakert, Karabakh’s, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Rishon, Tel Aviv, AFP, Israel’s, Artsakh, Israel, Stockholm, Baku, Lachin, Iran, Iranian, Jerusalem, Ottoman, Turkey, Ottoman Empire, APRI Armenia, Syunik, Nakhchivan, Republic of Armenia, Goris, Yerevan, Kornidzor, Russia, United States

But officials have made clear recently that other forms of US aid are potentially in jeopardy if Ukraine does not do more to address corruption. The US has provided Ukraine with over $23 billion in direct budget support since the war began, according to the Congressional Research Service. In a statement to CNN, the Ukrainian embassy in Washington said that Ukraine has moved “ambitiously” to pass reforms, including on its IMF program. That money is also the “most closely scrutinized” form of aid to Ukraine, a senior Democratic Senate aide told CNN. The US intends to provide up to $3.3 billion in direct economic aid to Ukraine if Congress authorizes its $24 billion supplemental request for Ukraine.

Persons: Biden, Jake Sullivan, Antony Blinken, Volodymyr Zelensky, Matthew Miller, Miller, ”, Denys Shmyhal, Blinken, “, It’s, Megan Reed, Sen, Lindsey Graham, Zelensky Organizations: CNN, Ukraine, The State Department, Congressional Research Service, United States Agency for International Development, USAID, World Bank, Ukrainian Ministry of Finance, International Monetary Fund, IMF, National Bank of, General Prosecutors, National Security, Ukrainian, White, Ukrainska Pravda, Government of, EU, State Department, NATO, Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, Democratic, Republicans, Pentagon, The Defense, Ukrainian MoD Locations: Ukraine, Ukrainian, Washington, National Bank of Ukraine, USA, Russia, Kyiv, Europe, Government of Ukraine, United States, EU

Vietnam’s opaque legal system has come under increased criticism from Western observers this year, even as the Southeast Asian country draws closer to the United States. In April during a visit to Hanoi, a delegation of the European Parliament’s Subcommittee of Human Rights expressed “great concern at the worsening human rights situation in the country” calling for the release of “political prisoners” including NGO leaders, journalists and environmental activists, according to Reuters. “Vietnam and the United States are critical partners at what I would argue is a very critical time,” Biden said at the time, referencing climate change. The importance of her cause has been underlined by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which lists Vietnam as one of the world’s most vulnerable countries to climate change. Ben Swanton, co director of The 88 Project, which advocates for human rights in Vietnam, called her trial “a total sham.”“This is yet another example of the law being weaponized for the purpose of political persecution,” he said.

Persons: Hoang, Hong, Nguyen Van Tu, Matthew Miller, “, ”, ” Miller, Joe Biden’s, ” Biden, “ I’m, Hong “, Ben Swanton Organizations: CNN, US State Department, State, European, Human, Reuters, Human Rights Watch, Obama, Columbia University, HRW, United States Agency for International Development, USAID, Amnesty Locations: Ho Chi Minh City, United States, Vietnam, Hanoi, “ Vietnam

☆ US to announce disaster response team for South Caucasus amid Karabakh crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( Daphne Psaledakis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Irakli Gedenidze Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Sept 28 (Reuters) - The United States on Thursday will announce it has deployed a Disaster Assistance Response Team in the South Caucasus region to coordinate the U.S. humanitarian response to the crisis after Azerbaijan took back control of Nagorno-Karabakh last week. "The United States is deeply concerned about the safety of vulnerable populations in Nagorno-Karabakh and the more than 50,000 people who have fled to Armenia," Power said in the statement. Power traveled to Armenia and Azerbaijan this week following Azerbaijan's defeat of the breakaway region's fighters in a conflict dating from the Soviet era. The Armenians are not accepting Azerbaijan's promise to guarantee their rights as the region is integrated. "Azerbaijan must protect civilians, uphold its obligations to respect the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all individuals in its country, and ensure its forces comply with international humanitarian law," Power said.

Persons: Samantha Power, Irakli, Power, Ilham Aliyev, Daphne Psaledakis, Peter Graff Organizations: Agency for International Development, USAID, REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, U.S . Agency for International Development, Karabakh, Thomson Locations: Nagorno, Karabakh, Kornidzor, Armenia, United States, South Caucasus, Azerbaijan, Soviet, Washington, Soviet Union

☆ More than half of Nagorno-Karabakh's ethnic Armenians have left
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( Felix Light | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/5] Refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh region ride in a truck upon their arrival at the border village of Kornidzor, Armenia, September 27, 2023. Azerbaijan says it is prepared to respect ethnic Armenian rights as it reabsorbs the region, but with a history burdened by folk memories of alleged genocide, ethnic cleansing, pogroms and at least two wars, the Armenians are fleeing in fear. In Soviet times, Nagorno-Karabakh enjoyed autonomy within the Soviet republic of Azerbaijan. But as the Soviet Union crumbled the First Karabakh War erupted. About 30,000 people were killed between 1988 and 1994 and more than a million people displaced, more than half of them Azeris.

Persons: Aliyev Aliyev, David, Ruben Vardanyan, Nikol Pashinyan, Samantha Power, Ilham Aliyev, Guy Faulconbridge, Kevin Liffey Organizations: REUTERS, USAID, Soviet, KARABAKH, Wednesday, Armenian, West, U.S . Agency for International Development, Thomson Locations: Nagorno, Karabakh, Kornidzor, Armenia, Yerevan, Azerbaijan, South Caucasus, Soviet Union, Soviet, Russia, United States, Turkey, Iran, Ukraine, Moscow, Baku, Lachin

CNN —The self-declared republic of Nagorno-Karabakh will cease to exist from next year after its president signed a decree dissolving state institutions following its defeat by Azerbaijan. The Azerbaijani victory last week triggered a a huge exodus of ethnic Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh and marked the end of decades of conflict. President Samvel Shahramanyan’s decree called for all institutions and organizations of the Republic of Artsakh – which is not recognized internationally – to dissolve by the start of next year. “The Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) ceases its existence,” read the decree, which was shared on Facebook by the Artsakh government. Shahramanyan said the decision had been made “due to the current difficult military-political situation.”Samvel Shakhramanyan signed the decree Thursday, agreeing to dissolve all state institutions from January 1, 2024.

Persons: Samvel Shahramanyan’s, ”, Shahramanyan, Samvel Shakhramanyan, Samantha Power, ” Power Organizations: CNN, Facebook, National Assembly of, United States Agency for International Development, USAID Locations: Nagorno, Karabakh, Azerbaijan, Republic of Artsakh, Republic, Artsakh, National Assembly of Republic of Artsakh, Russia, Lachin, Azerbaijan’s, Baku, Armenia, Kornidzor, Stepanakert

☆ USAID Chief to Raise Karabakh Humanitarian Situation in Azerbaijan Visit
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Daphne PsaledakisWASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senior Biden administration officials arrived in Azerbaijan on Wednesday amid a humanitarian crisis and an exodus of tens of thousands of people after Azerbaijan took back control of Nagorno-Karabakh in a lightning offensive last week. U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) chief Samantha Power, joined by U.S. State Department Acting Assistant Secretary for Europe and Eurasian Affairs Yuri Kim, will raise the humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh and the importance of Azerbaijan following through with its commitments in a meeting with President Ilham Aliyev. Power "will also address the prospects for a durable and dignified peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia, based on mutual respect for each others’ territorial integrity and sovereignty," USAID said in a statement. The Armenians are not accepting Azerbaijan's promise to guarantee their rights as the region is integrated. The Nagorno-Karabakh leadership told Reuters the region's 120,000 Armenians did not want to live as part of Azerbaijan for fear of persecution and ethnic cleansing.

Persons: Daphne Psaledakis WASHINGTON, Samantha Power, Yuri Kim, Ilham Aliyev, Aliyev, Daphne Psaledakis, David Holmes Organizations: Biden, U.S . Agency for International Development, USAID, U.S . State, Power, Karabakh, Reuters Locations: Azerbaijan, Nagorno, Karabakh, Europe, Armenia, Washington, Soviet Union

☆ Nagorno-Karabakh: Nearly half of the population has fled. What happens next?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —Nearly half of Nagorno-Karabakh’s population has fled to Armenia, with many thousands more still scrambling to evacuate, a week after the breakaway region surrendered following a lightning Azerbaijani offensive. No Armenian will be left here within maybe two weeks,” a Karabakh resident told CNN. Nonna Poghosyan, the American University of Armenia’s program coordinator in Stepanakert, told CNN that her family realized this weekend that it was safer to leave than to stay. Residents told CNN before the latest offensive began that they would have to wait in line for hours to get their daily share of bread. Analysts told CNN before the evacuations began that they feared Azerbaijan might prevent certain members of the population from leaving.

Persons: –, Vasily Krestyaninov, Stepanakert, ”, Russia –, Olesya, “, Ilham Aliyev, Siranush Sargsyan, rakli Gedenidze, Farid Shafiyev, ” –, ” Aliyev, Nikol Pashinyan, Poghosyan, ’ ” Poghosyan, Poghosyan's, Nonna, Pashinyan, Samantha Power, Power, ” Vartanyan, Ruben Vardanyan, Vardanyan Organizations: CNN, Wednesday, Karabakh, Soviet Union, Russia, Refugees, International Relations, Armenia’s, American University of, United States Agency for International Development, USAID, Residents, US State Department, Crisis, ICRC Locations: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Nagorno, Karabakh, Azerbaijan’s, Baku, ”, Soviet Union, Soviet, Turkey, Russian, South Caucasus, Stepanakert, Kornidzor, Baku –, Artsakh, Republic of Armenia, Goris

☆ US urges continued humanitarian aid for Nagorno-Karabakh
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A satellite image shows a long traffic jam of vehicles along the Lachin corridor as ethnic Armenians flee from the Nagorno-Karabakh region, September 26, 2023. Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Sept 26 (Reuters) - The United States urged continued humanitarian access to Nagorno-Karabakh on Tuesday as officials announced additional humanitarian assistance to address health care and other emergency needs. "We urge continued humanitarian access to Nagorno-Karabakh for all those in need." On a visit to Armenia, Samantha Power, head of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), said on Tuesday the United States would provide $11.5 million in humanitarian assistance. Reporting by Jasper Ward and Doina Chiacu; Editing by Leslie Adler and Marguerita ChoyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Adrienne Watson, Samantha Power, Jasper Ward, Doina, Leslie Adler, Marguerita Choy Organizations: Maxar Technologies, REUTERS, Acquire, Rights, United, National Security, U.S . Agency for International Development, USAID, Thomson Locations: Nagorno, Karabakh, United States, Armenia, States, Azerbaijan, Soviet Union

☆ Russia, US trade diplomatic blame over instability in Karabakh crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Sept 26 (Reuters) - Moscow and Washington have accused each other of destabilising the South Caucuses region, as thousands of ethnic Armenians fled their homes in Nagorno-Karabakh over ethnic cleansing fears. "I do think that Russia has shown that it is not a security partner that can be relied on," U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters. Thousands of ethnic Armenians fled the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh by Monday after their fighters were defeated by Azerbaijan in last week's lightning military operation. Baku has promised to protect the rights of the roughly 120,000 Armenians who call Karabakh home but many refuse to accept its assurances. Moscow has said Armenia only had itself to blame for Azerbaijan's victory over Karabakh because it flirted with the West rather than working with Moscow and Baku for peace.

Persons: Anatoly Antonov, Vladimir Putin, Matthew Miller, Nikol Pashinyan, Samantha Power, Yuri, Lidia Kelly, Michael Perry Organizations: US State Department, U.S . State Department, Monday, Azerbaijan, Karabakh, Armenia's, U.S . Agency for International Development, USAID, . State, U.S, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Washington, Nagorno, Karabakh, Armenia, Russia, Soviet Union, Ukraine, U.S, Baku, South Caucasus, United States, Turkey, Iran, Europe, Azerbaijan, Russian, Melbourne

☆ World Bank chief sees $100 bln-plus lending boost from capital moves
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( David Lawder | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Ajay Banga, World Bank president, participates in global infrastructure and investment forum in New York, Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023. They would include U.S. President Joe Biden's proposed $2.25 billion supplemental budget request for the World Bank, along with expected contributions from Germany, Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia and Nordic countries, he said. The bank is also examining other ways to expand lending, including providing more loan guarantees, lending against callable capital that is pledged but not paid-in, and special bonds that can serve as hybrid capital. China, India and Brazil got larger shareholdings in the bank in a 2018 capital increase and would likely want more say in a future capital increase, Banga said. "That is a pimple on a dimple on an ant's left cheek compared to what we need in the world," Banga said.

Persons: Ajay Banga, Seth Wenig, Banga, Joe Biden's, I'm, David Lawder, Paul Grant, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: World Bank, Bank, Foreign Relations, International Development Association, MasterCard, CFR, Bank for Reconstruction, Development, Thomson Locations: New York, Germany, Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, U.S, Marrakech, Morocco, United States, China, India, Brazil

☆ US Urges Continued Humanitarian Aid for Nagorno-Karabakh
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States urged continued humanitarian access to Nagorno-Karabakh on Tuesday as officials announced additional humanitarian assistance to address health care and other emergency needs. The White House statement came as the death toll from an explosion and fire at a fuel depot in the breakaway enclave rose to 68, with a further 105 people missing and nearly 300 injured. "We urge continued humanitarian access to Nagorno-Karabakh for all those in need." On a visit to Armenia, Samantha Power, head of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), said on Tuesday the United States would provide $11.5 million in humanitarian assistance. (Reporting by Jasper Ward and Doina Chiacu; Editing by Leslie Adler and Marguerita Choy)

Persons: Adrienne Watson, Samantha Power, Jasper Ward, Doina, Leslie Adler, Marguerita Choy Organizations: WASHINGTON, United, National Security, U.S . Agency for International Development, USAID Locations: United States, Karabakh, Nagorno, Armenia, States, Azerbaijan, Soviet Union

☆ Russia, US Trade Diplomatic Blame Over Instability in Karabakh Crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

(Reuters) - Moscow and Washington have accused each other of destabilising the South Caucuses region, as thousands of ethnic Armenians fled their homes in Nagorno-Karabakh over ethnic cleansing fears. "I do think that Russia has shown that it is not a security partner that can be relied on," U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters. Thousands of ethnic Armenians fled the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh by Monday after their fighters were defeated by Azerbaijan in last week's lightning military operation. Baku has promised to protect the rights of the roughly 120,000 Armenians who call Karabakh home but many refuse to accept its assurances. Moscow has said Armenia only had itself to blame for Azerbaijan's victory over Karabakh because it flirted with the West rather than working with Moscow and Baku for peace.

Persons: Anatoly Antonov, Vladimir Putin, Matthew Miller, Nikol Pashinyan, Samantha Power, Yuri, theArmenians, Lidia Kelly, Michael Perry Organizations: Reuters, US State Department, U.S . State Department, Monday, Azerbaijan, Karabakh, Armenia's, U.S . Agency for International Development, USAID, . State, U.S, aMoscow Locations: Moscow, Washington, Nagorno, Karabakh, Armenia, Russia, Soviet Union, Ukraine, U.S, Baku, South Caucasus, United States, Turkey, Iran, Europe, Azerbaijan, aroundNagorno, Melbourne

Pacific islands leaders gathered Monday for the start of a two-day Washington summit. As part of the summit, the U.S. is formally establishing diplomatic relations with two South Pacific nations, the Cook Islands and Niue. Biden announced Monday that later this year he would deploy a U.S. Coast Guard vessel to the region to collaborate and train with Pacific islands nations. The administration pledged the U.S. would add $810 million in new aid for Pacific islands nations over the next decade, including $130 million on efforts to stymie the impacts of climate change. The leaders will also meet on Monday with Biden's special envoy on climate, John Kerry, for talks focused on climate change.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, ” Biden, “, Antony Blinken, Niue Premier Dalton Tagelagi, Mark Brown, Brown, ” Brown, John Kerry, Linda Thomas, Greenfield, Kerry, Samantha Power, Janet Yellen, Anthony Albanese Organizations: WASHINGTON, Monday, Pacific Islands Forum, South Pacific, Niue Premier, Cook Islands, U.S ., U.S, Corporation, NFL, U.S . Coast Guard, White House, State Department, U.S . Agency for International Development, USAID, Marshall, Federated, Australian Locations: Washington, United States, U.S, Cook Islands, Niue, Cook, Australia, Micronesia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Kiribati, Nauru, New Caledonia , New Zealand, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic, Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Baltimore, Pacific, Federated States, The U.S

☆ Exclusive: Senior US officials traveling to Armenia as Karabakh's Armenians start to leave
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Daphne Psaledakis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] Refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh region arrive at a temporary accommodation centre in the town of Goris, Armenia, September 25, 2023. Power will meet with senior government officials and will "affirm U.S. support for Armenia’s democracy, sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity and commitment to address humanitarian needs stemming from Nagorno-Karabakh," the official said. Thousands of Karabakh Armenians have been left without food. In 2020, after decades of skirmishes, Azerbaijan, backed by Turkey, won a 44-day Second Karabakh War, recapturing territory in and around Karabakh. That war ended with a Russian-brokered peace deal that Armenians accuse Moscow of failing to guarantee.

Persons: Irakli, Samantha Power, Yuri Kim, Nikol Pashinyan, Daphne Psaledakis, Donna Bryson, Michael Perry Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Biden, U.S, Reuters, U.S . Agency for International Development, . State, USAID, Karabakh, International Committee, Thomson Locations: Nagorno, Karabakh, Goris, Armenia, Soviet, Europe, United States, Azerbaijan, Russia, Soviet Union, Turkey, Russian, Moscow

☆ Xi's economic policies are leaving many China watchers perplexed and confused
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Michelle Caruso-Cabrera | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Why is a nation with ambitions to become the dominant economic power in the world doing so many things to blunt that potential? Xi vs. the CCPMost, though not all, China watchers point to Xi himself as the instigator of those recent changes. "China's private sector, previously the growth engine of the Chinese economy, is paying the consequences," he told CNBC. In addition, he said "in recent months, China's National Development and Reform Commission has set up a bureau especially for private sector development." They cite external factors for weakness in the Chinese economy, including U.S. tariffs, trade restrictions, sanctions, and the sluggish post-pandemic global economy.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Lintao Zhang, Orville Schell, Schell, Jinping, Yasheng Huang, Xi, Ryan Hass, Kevin Rudd, Rudd, Anne Stevenson, Yang, Stevenson, Jack Ma, Mikhail Gorbachev, Liu Pengu, Yang Fan, Zhang Xinyu, Liza Tobin, Eric Schmidt Organizations: Political, CPC Central Committee, of People, Getty, Center, U.S, China Relations, The Asia Society, CNBC, Chinese Communist Party, Communist, MIT Sloan School, CCP, China Center, Brookings, Foreign Policy, Oxford University, J Capital Research, Communist Party, Party, U.S ., Soviet Union, National, Reform, Marxist Locations: Beijing, China, New York, U.S, Australia, United States, U.S . Congress, USSR, Soviet Union

☆ Indonesian indigenous islanders are rallying against plans to build a Chinese funded factory on their homes
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Heather Chen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —A plan to build a multi-billion dollar Chinese glass factory in Indonesia’s Riau Islands Archipelago has sparked fierce protests from indigenous islanders who are opposed to their villages being torn down. Riot police were deployed to the scene and fired tear gas and water cannons at protesters, CNN affiliate CNN Indonesia reported. On Rempang island, chaos broke out on September 7 when local authorities and developers showed up to conduct land surveys and take measurements. BP BatamIn a bid to soothe tensions, Indonesian government officials have promised improved relocation packages for residents on Rempang. Relocation and compensation only have economic value and cannot replace the villagers’ collective memory and identity as local indigenous people,” said Arifin Jaynal Ylbhi, spokesperson for the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI).

Persons: Joko Widodo, Xi Jinping, ”, “, Muhammad Rudi, Investment Bahlil Lahadalia, Arifin Jaynal Ylbhi, Hong Kong, Ansar Ahmad, Didit Wicaksono, Widodo, Nur, Sophie Grig, Bahlil Organizations: CNN, Badan, BP, Riot, CNN Indonesia, Government, Investment, Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation, Ford, General Motors, Volkswagen, Greenpeace, Veteran National Development University of Jakarta, Survival, CNN Indonesia . Investment Locations: Riau, Indonesia, Southeast, Batam, Singapore, Rempang, Hong, Malay, ” Riau, Greenpeace Indonesia, West Papua, Jakarta, CNN Indonesia

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