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Leaders of Arab League states spanning the Gulf, Levant and Africa began arriving in Riyadh on Thursday when Xi received a lavish reception by Prince Mohammed and signed a China-Saudi partnership pact with King Salman, demonstrating deepening ties. Oil giant Saudi Arabia is a top supplier to China and the joint statement reaffirmed the importance of global market stability and energy collaboration, while striving to boost non-oil trade and enhance cooperation in peaceful nuclear power. Xi invited King Salman to visit China, Saudi state television reported. Diplomats said the Chinese delegation would sign agreements and memoranda of understanding with several states in addition to Saudi Arabia, which inked an MOU with Huawei on cloud computing and building high-tech complexes in Saudi cities. The Chinese tech giant has participated in building 5G networks in most Gulf states despite U.S. concerns over a possible security risk in using its technology.

That made Vietnam one of the top buyers of Russian arms, according to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), which tracks global military expenditures. Starting Thursday, the country will host its first large-scale international arms trade fair, for which more than 170 companies from 30 countries have registered, the defence ministry said. The Defence Ministry referred questions about the country's defence industry to the Foreign Ministry, which did not respond to requests for comment. A half-dozen Russian defence firms are registered for the Hanoi fair, including Rosoboronexport, the state agency that imports and exports weapons. That year, the COVID-19 pandemic reduced Vietnam's military imports to only $32 million, of which $9 million worth were Russian arms.

☆ Canada freezes assets of three Haitian businessmen over gang links
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The sanctions target Gilbert Bigio, chairman of Haitian industrial conglomerate GB Group, as well as prominent business leaders Reynold Deeb and Sherif Abdallah, the government said. GB Group and the office of Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The United States on Friday imposed sanctions on a current and a former Haitian senator, accusing the two politicians of engaging in drug trafficking activities. Policymakers in the United States and Canada have this year been increasingly vocal in discussing alleged links between gangs and economic elites. Two U.S. lawmakers in September said the United States should sanction Haitian gang leaders and the "warlords" who finance them.

☆ Ukrainian embassies receive 'bloody packages' containing animal eyes - Kyiv
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KYIV, Dec 2 (Reuters) - Several Ukrainian embassies abroad have received "bloody packages" containing animal eyes, the foreign ministry said on Friday, after a series of letter bombs were sent to addresses in Spain including Ukraine's embassy in Madrid. An embassy source in Rome said human faeces were left in front of the door. Nikolenko also said that the embassy in Kazakhstan had received a bomb threat, which was subsequently not confirmed. The embassy in the United States received a letter containing an article that was critical about Ukraine, he said. Reporting by Pavel Polityuk in Kyiv; additional reporting by Philip Pullela in Rome; writing by Tom Balmforth; editing by Timothy HeirtageOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Covid protests escalate in Guangzhou as China lockdown anger boils
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

TwitterSocial media posts said the clashes took place on Tuesday night and were caused by a dispute over lockdown curbs. China Dissent Monitor, run by U.S. government-funded Freedom House, estimated at least 27 demonstrations took place across China from Saturday to Monday. In Zhengzhou, the site of a big Foxconn factory making Apple iPhones that has been the scene of worker unrest over Covid, officials announced the “orderly” resumption of businesses, including supermarkets, gyms and restaurants. Data on Wednesday showed China’s manufacturing and services activity for November posting the lowest readings since Shanghai’s two-month lockdown began in April. Chinese stocks were steady, with markets weighing endemic economic weakness against hopes that the public pressure could push China to eventually reopen.

☆ Dating apps and Telegram: How China protesters are defying authorities
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Eduardo Baptista | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Protesters came out in several Chinese cities for three days from Friday in a show of civil disobedience unprecedented since President Xi Jinping assumed power a decade ago. Authorities denied accusations posted on social media that a lockdown had prevented people escaping the blaze but that did not prevent protests on Urumqi streets, videos of which were posted on the Weibo and Douyin social media apps. Censors tried to scrub them quickly but they were downloaded and reposted not only across Chinese social media but also to Twitter and Instagram, which are blocked in China. A few hours before protesters gathered in cities like Shanghai and Chengdu, online flyers and pinned locations were widely shared on Telegram groups, Instagram and Twitter, social media users said. Police have been checking phones for VPNs and the Telegram app, residents and social media users said.

☆ Iran rejects U.N. investigation into protests - spokesperson
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Elwely Elwelly | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DUBAI, Nov 28 (Reuters) - Iran will reject a newly-appointed independent U.N. investigation into the country's repression of anti-government protests, the foreign ministry said on Monday, as demonstrations showed no sign of abating. "Iran will have no cooperation with the political committee formed by the U.N. Rights Council," ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said. The U.N. Rights Council voted on Thursday to appoint a probe into Iran's deadly crackdown on protests. Iran has proof that Western nations were involved in protests that have swept the country, Kanaani said on Monday. He did not say whether that figure also included deaths among other security forces such as the Revolutionary Guards.

☆ China sees protests against COVID curbs
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +10 min

CHINA PROTESTS Fire deaths fuel COVID lockdown fury How the protests gained momentumProtests have flared in several cities in mainland China in recent days, in a wave of civil disobedience unprecedented since President Xi Jinping assumed power a decade ago. Protests reported across China Protest mapAlthough the demonstrations in recent days are thousands of miles apart, they share elements in common. Video shows crowds topple police barricades in the street to protest against COVID curbs in China’s Guangzhou Crowds topple police barricades in the street to protest against COVID curbs in Guangzhou, China. Nov. 25 – Urumqi protests Crowds took to the streets at night in Urumqi, chanting "End the lockdown!" Video shows people in China’s Xinjiang protesting against COVID lockdown measures in China Protests against COVID lockdown measures in China's XinjiangIn the capital, Beijing, some 2,700 km (1,678 miles) to the east, some residents under lockdown staged small-scale protests or confronted local officials over movement restrictions.

☆ South Korea seeks cooperation from China, Russia as U.N. meets on North Korea
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Soo-Hyang Choi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SEOUL, Nov 21 (Reuters) - South Korea on Monday asked for the "active cooperation" of China and Russia to prevent North Korea from conducting further missile tests, hours ahead of a U.N. Security Council meeting on the North's test-launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile. The Security Council meeting was scheduled at the request of the United States after North Korea last week launched a missile capable of reaching the U.S. mainland. "Kim asked for active cooperation from China and Russia, permanent members of the Security Council, and for them to play constructive roles to restrain North Korea from further provocations and to make it return to dialogue," the ministry said. U.S. President Joe Biden met his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping last week and said Beijing has an obligation to try to talk North Korea out of resuming nuclear testing. A senior U.S. administration official said earlier this month that Washington believed China and Russia have leverage to persuade North Korea not to resume nuclear bomb testing.

☆ German industry calls for more support to diversify beyond China
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BERLIN, Nov 21 (Reuters) - One of Germany's main industry lobby groups called on Monday for more support for industry to diversify trade beyond China, as the government prepares new policies aimed at reducing the German economy's dependence on Beijing. Planned measures such as stress tests and greater scrutiny on investments in China, outlined in a draft document seen by Reuters, would be an administrative burden for businesses, the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce (DIHK) said. "Everything we have heard so far about the German government's China strategy is extremely defensive," said Volker Treier, head of foreign trade at DIHK. "We need an active and resilient industrial policy and strategy in Europe with regards to raw materials, batteries or semiconductors." Reporting by Victoria Waldersee, Andreas Rinke, Ludwig Burger Editing by Rachel More and Peter GraffOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Germany plans to tighten rules for firms highly dependent on China
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-19 | by ( Andreas Rinke | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BERLIN, Nov 19 (Reuters) - Germany's foreign ministry plans to tighten the rules for companies deeply exposed to China, making them disclose more information and possibly conduct stress tests for geopolitical risks, a confidential draft document seen by Reuters said. A spokesperson for the foreign ministry declined to comment. The draft, drawn up by the foreign ministry led by the Greens' Annalena Baerbock, still has to be agreed by other ministries. A final decision on the China strategy is expected early next year. To avoid cluster risks, investment guarantees should be limited to 3 billion euros per company per country, it added.

☆ Canada imposes new sanctions on Haitian politicians - statement
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

OTTAWA, Nov 19 (Reuters) - Canada on Friday imposed sanctions on three Haitian politicians, including a former president of the country's Chamber of Deputies, with Ottawa accusing them of aiding gang leaders and laundering their illicit earnings, according to a statement. "These individuals are using their status as current or previous public office holders to protect and enable the illegal activities of armed criminal gangs, including through money laundering and other acts of corruption," the statement said. "Today's sanctions are intended to stop the flow of illicit funds and weapons and to weaken and disable Haiti's criminal gangs," said the statement, issued by the foreign ministry. The sanctions will freeze any assets held in Canada by Senator Ronny Célestin, Former Senator Hervé Fourcand, and Former President of the Chamber of Deputies Gary Bodeau, a foreign ministry spokesperson said. The sanctions, which implement a U.N. Security Council resolution and build on earlier actions imposed by the United States and Canada, aim to stop the illegal flow of money and weapons into Haiti that help criminal gangs, the ministry said.

☆ Beijing says testy Xi-Trudeau exchange sparked by leak to media
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Eduardo Baptista | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIJING, Nov 18 (Reuters) - A tense exchange between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at this week's G20 summit was triggered by the leaking of details of a conversation between the two, China's foreign ministry said on Friday. A video published by Canadian broadcasters on Wednesday showed Xi telling Trudeau, via a translator, that "everything we discussed was leaked to the paper(s), that's not appropriate." The video captured a rare candid moment for Xi, whose image is carefully curated by Chinese state media. While the incident was widely covered by foreign media, there has been no coverage of it in China and the foreign ministry did not include references to it in its published transcript of a briefing on Thursday, where four questions related to the incident were asked. Relations have grown tense again this month after Trudeau accused the Chinese government of "aggressively" interference in Canadian elections.

☆ India's Modi meets Biden at G20 summit, shakes hands with China's Xi
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] President of the U.S. Joe Biden speaks with Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi at the G20 Summit opening session in Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia, Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2022. PRASETYO UTOMO/G20 Media Center/Handout via REUTERSNEW DELHI, Nov 15 (Reuters) - India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi discussed global and regional developments in a meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday at the Group of 20 (G20) summit in Indonesia, India's foreign ministry said. Modi also exchanged courtesies with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the end of a G20 dinner, according to government sources. Modi and Xi came face-to-face previously at a summit of regional security group Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in Uzbekistan in September. The Indian premier has also met British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, World Bank president David Malpass, and International Monetary Fund (IMF) managing director Kristalina Georgieva, among other leaders, at the G20 summit on the Indonesian island of Bali.

The two leaders will meet on Monday, the White House said, for their first face-to-face meeting since Biden became president, amid low expectations for significant breakthroughs. White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan announced the plan to brief Taiwan about the talks on Thursday, telling reporters the United States aimed to make Taiwan feel "secure and comfortable" about U.S. support. China is firmly opposed to it," Zhao told a regular briefing, shortly after the ministry announced that Xi would meet Biden and also attend the G20 meeting and a later APEC summit next week. U.S. President Joe Biden speaks virtually with Chinese leader Xi Jinping from the White House in Washington, U.S. November 15, 2021. Biden and Xi last met in person when Biden was vice president during the Obama administration.

☆ Iran's drones are unlikely to help Russia win in Ukraine — and could backfire for Tehran
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Ukraine has blamed Iran for providing Russia with drones, which have been used to attack Kyiv in recent days. They transferred dozens just this summer & have military personnel in occupied Ukraine helping Russia use them against Ukrainian civilians." Amirabdollahian said that "if it is proven to us that Russia has used Iranian drones in the Ukraine war, we won't be indifferent to it." They've also come in handy for Moscow as Russia's military runs low on more advanced weaponry like guided missiles. "Such systems could become a big headache for the Russians and could make Iran's drones and missiles look ineffective while teaching Western militaries how better to counter them," he said.

☆ Analysis: Egypt eyes diplomatic payoff from hosting COP27 climate summit
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-06 | by ( Aidan Lewis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The United Nations climate talks in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh starting on Sunday will put the global media spotlight on Egypt in a way the country last saw during its 2011 "Arab Spring" uprising. Authorities want to show "that Egypt is not an irrelevant country, that Egypt has the prowess, the diplomatic clout and the power, the security presence to be a pivotal figure", she said. In other moves aimed at improving Egypt's international image, Sisi has launched a limited political dialogue that is due to start soon after the climate summit. In an updated submission to the United Nations this year, Egypt said it faced a $246 billion funding shortfall to meet its 2030 climate targets. It is hoping to sign a flurry of deals including for green hydrogen power and solar and wind projects timed to coincide with COP27.

[1/4] Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi gestures during an interview at the Foreign Ministry in Jakarta, Indonesia, November 3, 2022. REUTERS/Ajeng Dinar UlfianaJAKARTA, Nov 3 (Reuters) - G20 summit host Indonesia is waiting to see if Russian President Vladimir Putin will attend, Indonesia's foreign minister said on Thursday, adding that differences over Ukraine had made preparations for the meeting particularly fraught. Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi told Reuters in an interview that Putin's attendance at the meeting might only become clear at the last minute. The grouping has failed to release joint communiques at several meetings this year, including a G20 foreign ministers' meeting in July. Retno said that while discussion of the Ukraine war was inevitable, the G20 remained "intact".

☆ Russia summons British ambassador over drone strike on Crimea
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] British Ambassador to Russia Deborah Bronnert arrives at the Russian Foreign Ministry headquarters, as activists hold a protest against what Russia's officials said to be the involvement of British specialists in a Ukrainian drone strike on its Black Sea Fleet in Crimea, in Moscow, Russia November 3, 2022. REUTERS/Shamil ZhumatovNov 3 (Reuters) - Russia summoned the British ambassador on Thursday over Moscow's claim that British navy personnel were involved in a Ukrainian drone attack on Russia's Black Sea Fleet in Crimea. Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday the ambassador was to be summoned over Saturday's drone attack on Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014. After the drone attack, Russia temporarily suspended participation in a U.N.-brokered Black Sea Grain deal. Russia casts Britain as a particularly perfidious Western power which President Vladimir Putin says is plotting to destroy Russia and carve up its vast natural resources.

☆ China is caught in a zero-Covid trap of its own making
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

“The new political ecology also provided more incentive for local governments to impose more draconian Covid control measures,” Huang said. Chinese health officials maintain that changing tack now would risk a huge surge in infections and deaths that could overwhelm the country’s fragile health care system. Zhengzhou, a city of 12 million, imposed sweeping lockdown measures last month after identifying dozens of Covid-19 cases. On Wednesday, the Zhengzhou Airport Economy Zone, where the Foxconn plant is located, announced new lockdown measures. As the winter approaches, experts warn that China could be hit by a new wave of infections – and a new cycle of draconian lockdowns.

☆ Russia to summon British ambassador over Black Sea Fleet drone strike
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 2 (Reuters) - Russia will summon Britain's ambassador to Moscow over what it said was the involvement of British specialists in a Ukrainian drone strike on its Black Sea Fleet in Crimea, the foreign ministry said on Wednesday. Russia suspended participation in a U.N.-brokered Black Sea Grain Initiative on Saturday after what it said was a major drone attack on vessels in the Bay of Sevastopol on the Crimean peninsula, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014. Russia's defence ministry said the attack was carried out under the guidance and leadership of British navy specialists, an assertion Britain has dismissed as false. "These actions were carried out under the guidance of British specialists," Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters on Wednesday. "In this regard, the British ambassador will shortly be summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry."

☆ North Korea demands the U.S., South Korea halt joint military drills
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, Oct 31 (Reuters) - North Korea on Monday demanded that the United States and South Korea stop large-scale military exercises, calling them a provocation that may draw "more powerful follow-up measures" from Pyongyang. The United States and South Korea began one of their largest combined military air drills on Monday, with hundreds of warplanes from both sides staging mock attacks 24 hours a day for the better part of a week. read moreThe foreign ministry statement said North Korea was "ready to take all necessary measures for defending its sovereignty, people's security and territorial integrity from outside military threats." North Korea condemns the joint drills as a rehearsal for invasion and proof of hostile policies by Washington and Seoul. read moreAsked if the United States would eventually recognize North Korea as such, Price replied: "That is not our policy.

☆ Canada imposes fresh Iran sanctions over human rights violations
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Oct 31 (Reuters) - Canada on Monday imposed fresh sanctions on Iran, marking the fourth package of sanctions it has implemented for alleged human rights violations in that country, the foreign ministry said in a statement. The latest sanctions target four individuals and two entities, including senior officials and Iran's Law Enforcement Forces, which Canada accused of participating in the suppression and arrest of unarmed protesters, according to the statement. "Canada will continue to support the Iranian people as they courageously demand a better future," Joly said. Canada has been carrying out a series of sanctions against Iran over alleged human rights abuses, including the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman who died while in custody of Iran's morality police. Reporting by Chris Gallagher in Washington; Editing by Lisa ShumakerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

PESHAWAR, Pakistan — The oldest prisoner at the Guantanamo Bay detention center was released and “reunited with his family” in Pakistan, the country's foreign ministry said in a statement Saturday. “We are glad that a Pakistani citizen detained abroad is finally reunited with his family,” the statement said. The Pentagon said in a statement Saturday that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had “notified Congress of his intent to repatriate Saifullah Paracha to Pakistan” last month. Following Paracha’s release, 35 detainees remain in Guantanamo Bay and 18 have been cleared for release, according to Amnesty International. The most high-profile prisoner held at Guantanamo Bay prison is Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the 9/11 attacks.

☆ Russia says it will retaliate if EU confiscates state assets
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Oct 27 (Reuters) - Russia will retaliate if its state and citizens' assets are confiscated by the European Union, the Foreign Ministry said on Thursday. Asked about comments reportedly made by European leaders suggesting Russian assets in the European Union could be confiscated, Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that this would be "stealing". "The EU judiciary refuses to protect Russians' property," she said. Reporting by Reuters; editing by John StonestreetOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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