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☆ Putin has an invitation to visit Cuba, says Russian ambassador
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MOSCOW, July 3 (Reuters) - Russia's ambassador to Cuba said President Vladimir Putin had an invitation to visit the Communist-run island but that it was too early to talk about preparations for such a trip, the state RIA news agency said. "Vladimir Vladimirovich (Putin) has an invitation, but I don't know how his plans will be lined up," Ambassador Viktor Koronelli told RIA. "The president of Cuba was in Moscow not long ago, in November of last year, so no real time has passed." Cuba had welcomed 66,000 tourists from Russia so far this year and Aeroflot's resumption of regular flights would probably mean a total of 100,000 Russian tourists visit the islands in 2023, Koronelli said. "I would like to say again that Russia can always rely on Cuba, all our aspirations and will," he told Putin, according to a Kremlin transcript.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Vladimir Vladimirovich, Putin, Viktor Koronelli, Koronelli, Miguel Diaz, Canel, Raul Castro, Guy Faulconbridge, Andrew Osborn Organizations: Communist, Kremlin, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Cuba, Moscow, Russia, Cuban

☆ Why Iran and Cuba Turned Their Back on the U.S. - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Peter Beinart | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

One reason Cuba still needs Beijing’s money is that the Biden administration has kept key Trump sanctions in place. When the two countries signed the 2015 nuclear deal, Iran’s foreign minister at the time, Mohammad Javad Zarif, called it “not a ceiling but a solid foundation. We must now begin to build on it.” Iran’s leaders, like Cuba’s, hoped better relations with the United States would spur Western investment. Mr. Trump canceled the nuclear deal and reimposed harsh sanctions. This isn’t the first time the United States has driven smaller nations into the arms of its superpower adversaries.

Persons: Obama, Conan O’Brien, Andrew Cuomo, Steve Nash, Michael J, Bustamante, ’, Donald Trump, Evan Ellis, Biden, Mohammad Javad Zarif, ”, Zarif, Hassan Rouhani, Trump, ” Fredrik Logevall, Ho, Ho Chi Minh, Viet Minh Organizations: University of Miami, White, Wall Street, Cuban, U.S . Army, College, Trump, National Security, Strategic Services, Japan Locations: Cuban, Havana, University of Miami Cuba, Cuba, America, China, Iran, United States, Moscow, Russia, Ho Chi, France, Viet

☆ Number of Migrants Crossing U.S. Southern Border Is Down. But for How Long?
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Eileen Sullivan | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

New options to come to the United States mean fewer illegal crossings. In central and northern Mexico, migrants can gain access to a government app on smartphones, where they can apply for an appointment at an official port of entry at the U.S. border. In April, the Biden administration announced that migrants from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras would be eligible for a family reunification program. The measures Mexico has taken include limiting migrants’ abilities to travel throughout the country, making it harder for them to reach the U.S. border. Mexico is also flying migrants whom the United States has recently deported to southern parts of the country.

Persons: Biden, ” Benjamine Huffman Organizations: Central, Customs, Border Protection Locations: United States, Mexico, U.S, Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, Venezuela, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico’s, Colombia

☆ Russia's Aeroflot resumes regular flights to Cuba, suspended since Ukraine invasion
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

July 1 (Reuters) - Rossiya Airlines, part of Russia's Aeroflot (AFLT.MM) group, on Saturday resumed scheduled flights to Cuba, which had been suspended since Western countries shut Russia out of their airspace in response to its invasion of Ukraine. The first flight of what will begin as a twice-weekly service took off for the Cuban resort of Varadero from Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport on Saturday, Aeroflot said. Russian airlines suspended flights to Cuba, Mexico and the Dominican Republic on Feb. 28 last year, four days after the invasion, which Russia calls a "special military operation". The deputy prime minister for tourism, sport, culture and communications, Dmitry Chernyshenko, announced in May that regular flights to Cuba skirting the airspace of "unfriendly" countries would resume by July. Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Kevin LiffeyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Dmitry Chernyshenko, Kevin Liffey Organizations: Rossiya Airlines, Aeroflot, Saturday, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Cuba, Russia, Ukraine, Cuban, Varadero, Moscow's Sheremetyevo, Mexico, Dominican Republic

☆ Opinion: The Supreme Court rewrites American society once again
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Opinion Cnn Contributors | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +25 min

But learning the facts - that affirmative action is critical for fostering equal access and opportunity in our academic institutions -cemented my belief that affirmative action is necessary if we want to create an equitable nation. The court’s decision Thursday is consistent with its view that race-based preferences should and would have a limited shelf life. Jon Wang, who revealed himself as a plaintiff in this Supreme Court case, was rejected by Harvard but was accepted at and is now attending Georgia Tech. Affirmative action enabled my ability to experience different ways of thinking and to form the lasting friendships I have made. Affirmative action has been a tool used by many countries to ensure underrepresented communities are included in areas they normally are not.

Persons: who’d, Tan, ”, Ana Fernandez, Richard Kahlenberg, Peniel Joseph, Peniel Joseph Kelvin Ma, Kelvin Ma, retrenchment, Bakke, Shelby, Holder, John F, Barry Goldwater, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Peniel, Joseph, Barbara Jordan, “, ” Lanhee Chen, Bollinger, Sandra Day O’Connor, Lanhee Chen Lanhee J . Chen, J, Chen, David, Diane Steffy, Romney, Ryan, Roxanne Jones, Andrew Johnson, Jones, WURD, Richard Sander, –, Richard Sander Fiona Harrison, Jeff Yang, Ed Blum’s, Jon Wang, Michael Wang, Williams, Jian Li, Bruce, Hudson Yang, Natasha Warikoo, Ketanji Brown Jackson, ” Natasha Warikoo Alonso Nichols, John Roberts, Brayden Rothe, Biden, can’t, Joe Biden, Brayden Rothe Patrick O'Leary, Pell Organizations: CNN, Fellows of Harvard College, Harvard, Harvard College, Cuban, American Council, Education, Wellesley College, Renaissance Studies, Black, Tufts University, Blacks, Ivy League, Federalist Society, John Birch Society, Trump, Democratic Party, GOP, Center, LBJ School of Public Affairs, University of Texas, Racial Justice, University of North, University of North Carolina Chapel, Public Policy, Hoover Institution, California State, Republican, Democratic, White, Fair, Supreme, ESPN The Magazine, ESPN, New York Daily News, Philadelphia Inquirer, The University of California, UCLA, University of California, UC, Georgia Tech, Department of Education, Princeton, Yale, Stanford, Princeton University, Institute for, Digital Intelligence, Harvard University, College, Social Sciences, of Sociology, Equity, University of Minnesota Locations: today’s, Philippines, Taiwan, Los Angeles, Portland, White, American, United States, West Linn , Oregon, Cuban American, Miami, Havana, Cuba, Miami , Florida, America, Austin, University of North Carolina, California, lockstep, Berkeley, Asian America, Florida, Texas

The deal had been announced in January 2022 and the FTC sued to stop it in December last year. Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley in San Francisco pressed FTC lawyers on where their economist got the data to show the deal would harm consumers. The FTC has said that if Microsoft bought Activision, Microsoft would have the incentive and the ability to harm competition in markets related to consoles, subscription game services and cloud gaming. "The harm here is we think is substantial in locking up Activision content," said FTC lawyer James Weingarten. To address the FTC concerns, Microsoft has agreed to license "Call of Duty" to rivals.

Persons: Microsoft Corporation Satya Nadella, Read, Microsoft's, Jacqueline Scott Corley, James Weingarten, Corley, Microsoft's Beth Wilkinson, it's, Satya Nadella, Nadella, Biden, Diane Bartz, Lincoln Organizations: Microsoft Corporation, . Federal Trade Commission, Microsoft, Activision Blizzard, U.S . Federal Trade, Activision, Federal Trade Commission, Nintendo, Sony Group, FTC, PlayStation, Thomson Locations: California, Downtown San Francisco , California, U.S, WASHINGTON, San Francisco, British, Canada

[1/2] Russia's President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump attend a meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan June 28, 2019. "I want people to stop dying over this ridiculous war," Trump told Reuters in a telephone interview. As president, Trump developed friendly relations with Putin, who Biden said on Wednesday has "become a bit of pariah around the world" for invading Ukraine. Trump said Putin had been damaged by an uprising by the Russian mercenary force, the Wagner Group, and its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, last weekend. As president, Trump adopted a tougher stance on China while claiming a good relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping that soured over the coronavirus pandemic.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump, Mikhail Klimentyev, Putin, Trump, they've, Joe Biden, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Biden, Yevgeny Prigozhin, he's, you'll, Xi Jinping, they'd, They'd, Steve Holland, Nathan Layne, Kanishka Singh, Ross Colvin, Grant McCool Organizations: U.S, Sputnik, REUTERS, WASHINGTON, Former U.S, Reuters, Russian, NATO, Wagner Group, International, Thomson Locations: Osaka, Japan, Kremlin, Former, United States, Russia, Ukraine, China, Chinese, Cuba, U.S, Kyiv, Russian, Beijing, Taiwan

Kenyan shipments of tea - its major export - have fallen by a fifth over the last year, according to the local regulator. The spike in global interest rates has already tipped Sri Lanka and Ghana into defaulting. Reuters GraphicsBLACK MARKETAlthough the dollar's share as a global reserve currency has dropped to 59% from 70% over a decade, it continues to dominate global trade. Nigeria has long had a web of multiple exchange rates which it is now trying to untangle, having also devalued its naira currency again last week. A plunge of around 70% in Bolivia's reserves has spawned queues at banks and currency exchange shops as some merchants stopped accepting local currency.

Persons: Wilson Muthaura, KTDA, Charlie Robertson, Muthaura, David Willacy, Ojo, Chaucer, Ronal, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Kristalina Georgieva, William Ruto, Duncan Miriri, Marc Jones, Macdonald Dzirutwe, Monica Machicao, Mayela Armas, David Sherwood, Catherine Evans Organizations: Bank, FIM Partners, Reuters Graphics, Workers, REUTERS, La Paz, West, Reuters, JPMorgan, Monetary Fund, IMF, Fund, Thomson Locations: NAIROBI, LONDON, Pakistan, COVID, Russia, Ukraine, London, Islamabad, Egypt, Sri Lanka, Ghana, Tunisia, teetering, Nigeria, Kenya, StoneX, Nigeria's, Lagos, British, Cuba, Venezuela, Githunguri, Kiambu County, United States, Lebanon, Turkey, Ethiopia, China, India, Johannesburg, Saudi Arabia, Africa, Argentina, Nairobi, La Paz, Caracas, Havana

But now, as Mr. Putin seeks to project an image of restored stability and control, he has been putting his defense minister on display, even if Mr. Shoigu has not addressed the public or even been heard speaking. Mr. Shoigu was also present on Monday as Mr. Putin convened a meeting of his top security chiefs. On Tuesday, as Mr. Putin praised his security forces in a grandly choreographed speech, Mr. Shoigu was again present, wearing his military uniform. Mr. Shoigu, who was a very popular minister of emergency situations before becoming defense minister in 2012, has had a long and friendly relationship with Mr. Putin. Mr. Putin may have kept both men in charge as part of his decades-long efforts to place the sprawling Russian military more under his control.

Persons: Vladimir V, Sergei K, Shoigu, Valery V, Putin, Yevgeny V, Wagner, ” Mr, Gerasimov, Mr, Prigozhin, Ramzan Kadyrov, —, ”, ” Andrei Guryulov, Aleksandr Dugin, Aleksandr G, Lukashenko, Dugin, Long, General Gerasimov, It’s, Andrei Soldatov, Putin “, ” Oleg Matsnev Organizations: Putin, Cuban, National Defense Control Center of Russia, Russian military’s Zvezda, United, Defense Ministry, General Staff Locations: Moscow, Russia, Ukraine, United States, Cuba, Russian, Ukrainian, Lyman, Chechnya, United Russia, Belarus

☆ How a dysfunctional mission in the Caribbean became 'the pivotal point' for the creation of US Special Operations Command
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Those problems helped spur the creation of US Special Operations Command several years later. According to Maj. Gen. Richard Scholtes, the first commander of Joint Special Operations Command, US military officers involved in the planning soon butted heads. A task force of Delta Force operators, Rangers, and helicopters from the elite 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment also attacked Fort Rupert and Richmond Hill Prison. Bettmann/Getty Images"The Pentagon was waging a frontal and rear assault in opposition to the creation of a special operations command," William Cohen said in the mid-2000s, according to Kukielski's article. Stavros Atlamazoglou is a defense journalist specializing in special operations, a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ), and a Johns Hopkins University graduate.

Persons: —, Peter Carrette, Eagle, JSOC, Reagan, Richard Scholtes, butted, jean, Louis Atlan, Scholtes, Philip Kukielski, frogmen, Fort, Paul Scoon, Bettmann, Formally, William Cohen, Cohen, Nunn, Eric BOUVET, SOCOM, Chance, Stavros Atlamazoglou Organizations: Operations Command, Service, Fury, Pentagon, Delta Force, Soviet Union, Getty, US Atlantic Command, Atlantic Command, US Marine Corps, CIA, State Department, Team, Air Commando, US Defense, Rangers, 2nd Ranger, Porto Salines, Marines, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, Radio Free, US, Dover Air Force Base, Special Warfare, Craft, 160th, American, Hellenic Army, 575th Marine Battalion, Army, Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins, School, International Locations: Grenada, Caribbean, Tehran, Cuba, Soviet, Richmond, Porto, Fort Rupert, Rupert, Radio Free Grenada, Grenada's, Point Salinas, Scholtes, Beirut, Grenada —, Persian, Johns

☆ US should apologize to Guantanamo Bay inmates for treatment -UN expert
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 26 (Reuters) - A United Nations expert said on Monday that U.S. government treatment of Guantanamo Bay inmates was cruel, inhuman and degrading under international law and called for Washington to apologize and provide reparation. "I observed that after two decades of custody, the suffering of those detained is profound, and it's ongoing," Fionnuala Ni Aolain said at the United Nations after completing the first official visit by a U.N. expert to the detention facility in Cuba. The prison was set up in 2002 by then-U.S. President George W. Bush to house foreign militant suspects following the 9/11 attacks on the United States. Its population grew to a peak of about 800 inmates before it started to shrink. The comments by the independent expert add to recent criticism from the Red Cross and another UN body.

Persons: Ni Aolain, George W, Bush, Joe Biden, Washington, Emma Farge, Idrees Ali, Chris Reese, Howard Goller Organizations: United, United Nations, Pentagon, UN, Thomson Locations: United Nations, Guantanamo, Washington, Cuba, United States

☆ Dutch human rights body: ASML may follow US export rules when hiring
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

AMSTERDAM, June 26 (Reuters) - Dutch computer chip equipment maker ASML (ASML.AS) may refuse job applicants on the basis of their nationality when required to do so by U.S. export rules, a Dutch human rights body has found. ASML, based in Veldhoven, Netherlands, has significant operations in the U.S. and makes equipment used in semiconductor manufacturing. Export Administration Regulations (EAR) "although not originating from the Dutch legislator, are indeed binding for ASML," the institute said. A Rotterdam-based anti-discrimination foundation had filed a complaint over ASML's hiring practices, arguing that Dutch law does not permit discrimination on the basis of nationality. Those categories include Iran, Syria, North Korea and Cuba, but also about 20 other countries considered a national security threat to the U.S., including China and Russia.

Persons: ASML, Toby Sterling, Matthew Lewis Organizations: Institute for Human Rights, U.S, . Export Administration, U.S . Commerce Department's, Thomson Locations: AMSTERDAM, U.S, Netherlands, Iran, Syria, Cuba, North Korea, Veldhoven, Rotterdam, China, Russia, Amsterdam

☆ Russia pulls back from brink of crisis after deal reached to end Wagner insurrection
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +17 min

Sovfoto/Universal Images Group via Getty Images Putin poses for a picture with his wife, Lyudmila, and daughters, Yekaterina and Maria. Brooks Kraft LLC/Corbis via Getty Images Putin rides a horse during a vacation in Southern Siberia in August 2009. Alexey Nikolsky/AFP via Getty Images Putin judges an arm wrestling match while visiting the Seliger youth educational forum in Russia's Tver region in August 2011. Dmitry Astakhov/RIA Novosti/AFP via Getty Images Putin plays with his dogs Yume, left, and Buffy at his home in Novo-Ogaryovo, Russia, in March 2013. Chris McGrath/Getty Images Putin and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attend the G20 summit in Buenos Aires in November 2018.

Persons: Vladimir Putin’s, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, ” Prigozhin, ” Wagner, ”, Dmitry Peskov, “, Prigozhin, ” Peskov, Putin, Putin Putin, Joseph Stalin, –, “ Putin, Evelyn Farkas, ’, Vladimir Putin, Maria Putina, Archivio GBB, ZUMA Press Wire Putin, Laski, Maria, Vladimir, Anatoly Sobchak, Lyudmila, Yekaterina, Boris Yeltsin, Yeltsin, Fidel Castro, Reuters Putin, George W, Bush, Stephen Jaffe, Camp David, Brooks Kraft, Alexey Druzhinin, Alexey Nikolsky, Mikhail Metzel, Ivan Sekretarev, AP Putin, Dmitry Medvedev, Dmitry Astakhov, Buffy, Angela Merkel, Jochen Lübke, Thomas Bach, Medvedev, Vladimir Konstantinov, Alexei Chalyi, Sergei Aksyonov, Sergei Ilnitsky, Kirill Kudryavtsev, Alexander Lukashenko, Merkel, Francois Hollande, Petro Poroshenko, Mykola Lazarenko, Barack Obama, Ban, Chip Somodevilla, Turkey Andrei Karlov, Karlov, Donald Trump, Chris McGrath, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, LUDOVIC MARIN, Emmanuel Macron, Volodymyr Zelensky, Eliot Blondet, Joe Biden, Antony Blinken, Biden, Sergey Lavrov, Denis Balibouse, Macron, Sergey Ponomarev, Mikhail Gorbachev, —, Alexander Nemenov, Alexey Danichev, Xi Jinping, Pavel Byrkin, Pavel Bednyakov, Peter Zwack, Beth Sanner, ” Sanner, “ He’s, … Putin, Moscow’s, Priogozhin Organizations: CNN, Kremlin, Communist, McCain, Putin, Getty, Russian, ZUMA Press, KGB, ZUMA Press Wire, Getty Images, Reuters, US, White House, Camp, Brooks, Brooks Kraft LLC, RIA Novosti, AP, AFP, International Olympic, Crimean, Ukrainian, United Nations, UN, Assembly, Russian Foreign Ministry, Sputnik, World, Saudi Arabia's Crown, Macron, SPUTNIK, New York Times, Central Clinical Hospital, AP Putin, Belarus, State Russian Museum, Russia’s Southern Military District, US Army, National Intelligence for Mission, State Department, European Union Locations: Moscow, Belarus, Ukraine, Russia, Kremlin, Russia’s Belgorod, Putin Russian, Russian, Rostov, St . Petersburg, Leningrad, Germany, AFP, Kazan, Cuba, Soviet Union, Southern Siberia, Russia's Tver, Novo, Ogaryovo, Hanover, Sevastopol, Crimea, Belarusian, Minsk, France, Turkey, Helsinki, Finland, Buenos Aires, Ukrainian, Paris, Geneva, Switzerland, Taganrog, Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, –, Canada, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom, Soviet, Kazakhstan

☆ In the U.S., an Accomplished Cuban Boxer Takes His First Pro Steps
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( Morgan Campbell | Todd Heisler | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Cruz, a Cuban boxer who had won the lightweight gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, popped him with two more long lefts. Cruz is one of the most accomplished fighters ever to emerge from Cuba’s celebrated boxing program. Along with his Olympic gold, he has three amateur world titles and has twice won at the Pan American Games. Cruz’s manager, Yolfri Sánchez, watched the sparring session from ringside. Sánchez hired Ennis to replace Cruz’s amateur habits with pro techniques: hitting with authority, staying in range, catching and countering punches.

Persons: Andy Cruz, Rostyslav, Cruz, Juan Carlos Burgos, Yolfri Sánchez, Derek Ennis —, Bozy —, Sánchez, Ennis Organizations: Tokyo, Cuba’s, Pan American Locations: Cruz, Cuban, Northeast Philadelphia, Detroit

☆ Pope skips speech, blaming breathing difficulties after surgery
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Pope Francis meets with Kosovo's Prime Minister Albin Kurti at the Vatican, June 22, 2023. Vatican Media/Handout via REUTERSVATICAN CITY, June 22 (Reuters) - Pope Francis skipped reading a planned speech at a conference on Thursday, saying he still had breathing problems following a hernia operation this month. "I am still under the effects of anaesthesia, my breathing is not good," Francis told a meeting of the Catholic Oriental Church, saying delegates would instead receive a text of the speech. The pope had surgery on June 7 to repair an abdominal hernia. Reporting by Philip Pullella; Writing by Crispian Balmer; Editing by Alison WilliamsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Pope Francis, Albin Kurti, Francis, Philip Pullella, Crispian Balmer, Alison Williams Organizations: Kosovo's, Vatican, Handout, REUTERS VATICAN CITY, Catholic Oriental Church, Thomson Locations: Cuba, Brazil

☆ If China goes into Taiwan, then the U.S. should disrupt Chinese operations in Cuba: Rep. Salazar
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | 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 EmailIf China goes into Taiwan, then the U.S. should disrupt Chinese operations in Cuba: Rep. SalazarRep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-Florida), joins 'Last Call' to discuss U.S.-China relations and President Biden referring to Xi Jinping as a 'dictator'.

Persons: Salazar, Maria Elvira Salazar, Biden, Xi Jinping Organizations: U.S Locations: China, Taiwan, U.S, Cuba, Florida

☆ U.S. Tracked Huawei, ZTE Workers at Suspected Chinese Spy Sites in Cuba
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Kate O Keeffe | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-tracked-huawei-zte-workers-at-suspected-chinese-spy-sites-in-cuba-355caddc

Persons: Dow Jones, 355caddc Organizations: huawei Locations: cuba

[1/2] German parliamentary group leader of Alternative for Germany (AfD) party Alice Weidel speaks during budget debate in the plenary hall of German lower house of parliament, or Bundestag, in Berlin, Germany November 23, 2022. Asked by broadcaster ntv if the AfD would name a chancellor candidate, party co-chief Alice Weidel said "of course, we would also nominate (one) without these polling numbers", side-stepping a question about whether she would present herself. The likelihood of an AfD candidate becoming Germany's chancellor is very low currently given the party would need to be able to form a government and currently all other parties have ruled out working with it. The AfD is currently on track to winning the vote in all three east German states holding elections next year. Reporting by Sarah Marsh; additional Reporting by Friederike Heine; editing by Mark HeinrichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Alice Weidel, Christian Mang, Chancellor Olaf Scholz's, Thomas Haldenwang, Haldenwang, Hans Vorlaender, Sarah Marsh, Friederike Heine, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: REUTERS, Scholz's Social Democrats, ntv, Thomson Locations: Germany, Berlin, BERLIN, Dresden

☆ It's not just spy bases in Cuba, China could be sending troops right to Florida's doorstep: WSJ
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Kwan Wei Kevin Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

China is planning a new joint military training facility in Cuba, per The Wall Street Journal. At 100 miles off Florida's coast, the facility would put China's troops at Florida's doorstep. Intelligence officials told the Journal China's move is a likely response to US's involvement in Taiwan. The officials told the Journal that the facility could allow China to "house troops permanently on the island" and "broaden its intelligence gathering" against the US. The new facility in Cuba would be just 100 miles off Florida's coast, and effectively allow China to station troops right at the Sunshine State's doorstep.

Persons: —, Mao Ning, Mao, Biden, Miguel Díaz, Xi Jinping, H.R Organizations: Street, Service, Privacy, China, US, White, Foreign Ministry, Intelligence, Associated Press, Cuban, Trump, McMaster, CBS, State Department Locations: China, Cuba, Taiwan, Cuban, Florida, Havana, South, Russia

China and Cuba already jointly run four eavesdropping stations on the island, according to U.S. officials. Photo: yander zamora/ShutterstockWASHINGTON—China and Cuba are negotiating to establish a new joint military training facility on the island, sparking alarm in Washington that it could lead to the stationing of Chinese troops and other security and intelligence operations just 100 miles off Florida’s coast, according to current and former U.S. officials.

Persons: yander zamora Locations: China, Cuba, Shutterstock WASHINGTON, Washington

☆ Blinken: U.S. 'Closely' Monitoring China's Military Activities in Cuba
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

How Jerome Powell Became the U.S.’s Most Powerful Economic VoiceJerome Powell, as the chair of the U.S. Federal Reserve, appears to hold the country’s economic health in his hands. It’s a coveted role that has earned him both praise and criticism. Here’s how balancing aggressive and conservative policy got him to the top. Illustration: John McColgan for The Wall Street Journal

Persons: Jerome Powell, It’s, John McColgan Organizations: U.S . Federal Reserve, Wall Street

☆ U.S. urges China military dialogue despite rebuff to Blinken
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Humeyra Pamuk | Thomson Reuters | Humeyra Pamuk Is A Senior Foreign Policy Correspondent Based In Washington Dc. She Covers The U.S. State Department | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"We remain willing and able at all levels to meet and call on China to respond appropriately to that." Blinken told a press conference in London that he had made those concerns clear to his Chinese counterparts. China cited U.S. sanctions as an obstacle to military dialogue which Blinken said he had repeatedly raised with his hosts and would continue to push for. China's defence minister Li earlier this month declined an invitation to meet U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin at an international security summit. Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk and Beijing Newsroom; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne and Alistair BellOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Blinken, Antony Blinken's, Sarah Beran, Beran, we've, Li Shangfu, East Asia Daniel Kritenbrink, Kritenbrink, Joe Biden, Janet Yellen, Gina Raimondo, China's, Li, Lloyd Austin, Humeyra Pamuk, Andrew Cawthorne, Alistair Bell Organizations: White, National Security Council, Taiwan Affairs, Wall Street Journal, Chinese Defence, Washington, U.S, U.S . State Department's, East Asia, U.S ., Ukraine, Defense, Thomson Locations: Beijing, U.S, China, BEIJING, United States, Cuba, Taiwan, London, U.S .

☆ China plans a new military training facility in Cuba, Wall Street Journal reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

June 20 (Reuters) - China and Cuba are negotiating to establish a new joint military training facility on the island, sparking alarm in the U.S. that it could lead to the stationing of Chinese troops and other security operations just 100 miles off Florida's coast, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday citing current and former U.S officials. Reporting by Jose Joseph in Bengaluru; Editing by Muralikumar AnantharamanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Jose Joseph, Muralikumar Organizations: Wall Street, Thomson Locations: China, Cuba, U.S, Bengaluru

☆ Water wars: Afghanistan and Iran's deadly border flare-up spotlights scarcity crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Kajaki Hydroelectric Dam in Kajaki, Afghanistan in the Helmand province on June 4, 2018 in Kajaki, Afghanistan. Iranian and Afghan border guards clashed on May 27, exchanging heavy gunfire that killed two Iranian guards and one Taliban soldier and wounded several others. A dangerous borderThe 580-mile border between Afghanistan and Iran is porous and crawling with crime, predominantly coming from the Afghan side into Iran. "Iran's Afghan border has always been its most vulnerable," said Kamal Alam, a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council's South Asia Center. In the 1950s, Afghanistan built two major dams that limited the flow of water from the Helmand river into Iran.

Persons: Maplecroft, Wakil Kohsar, Soltvedt, Kamal Alam, Alam, Ryan Bohl, Rane, Ebrahim Raisi, Yamil Lage Organizations: Orbital, Copernicus Sentinel, Getty Images, CNBC, Taliban, Afp, Getty, Asia Center, East Locations: Kajaki, Afghanistan, Helmand, Getty Images Iran, Iran, Tehran, destabilization, East, North Africa, Afghan, Zaranj, Iran's, Khuzestan, Nimruz, Helmand Province, Sistan, Baluchistan, Havana, Cuba

☆ Spy balloon 'chapter should be closed’ after China talks, Blinken tells NBC News
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( Janis Mackey Frayer | Jennifer Jett | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

China's President Xi Jinping (R) receives US Secretary of State Antony Blinken prior to their meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on June 19, 2023. President Xi Jinping hosted Antony Blinken for talks in Beijing on June 19, capping two days of high-level talks by the US secretary of state with Chinese officials. BEIJING — Secretary of State Antony Blinken told NBC News on Monday that his trip to Beijing marked an "important start" in stabilizing U.S. ties with China and that the countries should move on from the spy balloon incident that postponed his earlier visit. "That chapter should be closed," Blinken said in an interview before leaving Beijing, where he spent two days meeting with senior Chinese officials including President Xi Jinping. Blinken's trip to China, the first by a U.S. secretary of state since 2018, was postponed in February after the discovery of an alleged Chinese spy balloon over U.S. territory.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Antony Blinken, Blinken, Nancy Pelosi's, Joe Biden, Xi, Biden, that's, we've, there's, Jinping, Janis Mackey Frayer, Jennifer Jett Organizations: of, People, BEIJING —, NBC, South China, Cuban, U.S ., Congressional, House Locations: Beijing, BEIJING, China, Taiwan, Taiwan Strait, South, U.S, South Carolina, Cuba, doesn't, Indonesia, Hong Kong

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