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☆ Papua New Guinea Opens Embassy in Jerusalem
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Dan WilliamsJERUSALEM (Reuters) - Papua New Guinea opened its embassy to Israel in Jerusalem on Tuesday, becoming only the fifth country with a full diplomatic mission in a city whose status is one of the most sensitive issues in the Middle East. Political Cartoons on World Leaders View All 226 ImagesIsrael will pay for the embassy, located in a high-rise opposite Jerusalem's biggest mall, for the first two years, Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape was quoted in the Papua New Guinea Post-Courier newspaper. "Many nations choose not to open their embassies in Jerusalem, but we have made a conscious choice," Marape said at the embassy's inauguration ceremony. "For us to call ourselves Christian, paying respect to God will not be complete without recognizing that Jerusalem is the universal capital of the people and the nation of Israel," Marape said. Papua New Guinea, which occupies the eastern half of the West Pacific Island of New Guinea, has an economy based on agriculture and mining.

Persons: Dan Williams JERUSALEM, Israel, James Marape, Marape, Benjamin Netanyahu, Wassel Abu Youssef, Netanyahu, Kirsty Needham, Maayan Lubell, Ali Sawafta, Dan Williams, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Israel, Papua New Guinea, Papua New, Courier, United Nations, Washington, Palestine Liberation Organisation, West Locations: Papua New Guinea, Israel, Jerusalem, United States, Kosovo, Guatemala, Honduras, Tel Aviv, Papua New, Papua, New Guinea

☆ Russian infighting may have led to Ukraine retaking a key town in its counteroffensive: report
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A Russian mercenary group refused to fight in Ukraine, reports say. It may have enabled Ukraine to seize back control of the village of Robotyne. Infighting has racked the Russian military in recent weeks. Get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in business, from Wall Street to Silicon Valley — delivered daily. The Rusich was formed in 2014, and has fought in Syria, in conflicts in Africa, and in Ukraine.

Persons: Samuel Ramani, Yan Petrovsky, Wagner, Jeff Hawn, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Alexsey Milkachov Organizations: Service, Sunday, Ukraine, The Telegraph, Oxford University, Twitter, Kremlin, New Lines Institute, France, Robotyne, Analysts, Group, for Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Robotyne, Wall, Silicon, Ukrainian, Nazi, Finland, Washington, DC, Russia, Zaporizhia Oblast, Zaporizhzhia, Moscow, Syria, Africa

☆ Gabon coup leader sworn in as interim president in scene of jubilation
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-04 | by ( Gerauds Wilfried Obangome | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Gabon coup leader General Brice Oligui Nguema is sworn in as interim president during his swearing-in ceremony, in Libreville, Gabon, September 4, 2023. State TV showed images of a cheering crowd and armoured personnel carriers firing into the sea to mark the moment. PLEDGE TO RETURN POWER TO CIVILIANSNguema reiterated that his administration would organise free and fair elections, though he gave no timetable. "After this transition ... we intend to return power to civilians by organising new elections that will be free, transparent, credible and peaceful," he said. The coup had drawn cheering crowds onto the streets of the capital Libreville but condemnation from abroad.

Persons: General Brice Oligui Nguema, Gerauds Wilfried Obangome, Bongo, Ali Bongo, Nguema, Nellie Peyton, Karin Strohecker, Alessandra Prentice, Estelle Shirbon, Peter Graff, Christina Fincher Organizations: REUTERS, Central Africa LIBREVILLE, Gabon's, Central, State, Central African, United Nations, African Union, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Gabon, Libreville, West, Central, of Gabon

☆ Liberating? Exploitative? A Nude Scene Summer Report Card.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-03 | by ( Maya Phillips | More About Maya Phillips | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

This has been a summer of women being liberated — from their wardrobes, mostly. Depending on the context of the story, the director’s intention, the work’s perspective or the execution of the shot, a nude scene may serve as shorthand for a character’s newfound physical or spiritual freedom, or even an emotional or psychological breakthrough. Or it may be another case of entertainment using a woman’s body for shock value. The setup: On “The Idol,” a young pop star named Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp), feeling artistically frustrated and in the midst of a nervous breakdown, thrives under the tutelage of a mysterious club owner named Tedros (Abel Tesfaye, a.k.a. The scene: It’s tough to pick just one nude scene in this disaster of a television show because Jocelyn is perennially stuck in a state of partial undress.

Persons: “, “ Oppenheimer ”, Beauvoir, ”, Jocelyn, Lily, Rose Depp, Tedros, Abel Tesfaye

Together, experts say, these efforts aim to enhance China’s military reach, which currently includes only one operational overseas naval base in Djibouti on the Horn of Africa. “It’s a question of when – not if – China will secure its next overseas military outpost,” he said. This photo taken on August 1, 2017, shows Chinese People's Liberation Army personnel attending the opening ceremony of China's new military base in Djibouti. The Hambantota commercial port in Sri Lanka has long been considered a prime candidate for a Chinese naval base. However, China’s path to developing permanent overseas bases, if indeed that is its aim, is not straightforward.

Persons: FDD, Craig Singleton, “, –, ”, Tea Banh, FDD’s Singleton, Tang Chhin Sothy, Singleton, Xi Jinping, Stringer, ” AidData, Stephen J, Townsend, ” Townsend, Bata, Ali Bongo Ondimba, Ken Ishii, ’, ” Singleton, China’s, Aaron Favila, Isaac Kardon, Kardon, ” Kardon, BlackSky Singleton, Rob Wittman, Fu Tian, Seth Moulton, ” Moulton, Martin Meiners Organizations: South Korea CNN, People’s Liberation Army Navy, Foundation for Defense of Democracies, People’s Liberation Army, PLA, Ream, Base, CNN, China’s Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ream Naval Base, ” Cambodian Defense, Cambodian, Getty, Fleet, Communist Party, US, Liberation Army personnel, William & Mary University, Sri Lankan Navy, US Africa Command, Gabonese, of, Xinhua, Naval Research Academy, Carnegie Endowment, International Peace, East China Seas, China, Control, Organization, Force, Strategic, International Studies, Defense Department, Chinese Communist Party, ”, Virginia Republican, The Defense Department, Qingdao Port, People's Liberation Army Navy, China News Service, America, Pentagon, US Defense Department Locations: Seoul, South Korea, China, Beijing, Washington, Cambodia, Argentina, Cuba, Djibouti, of Africa, Africa, West Asia, Gulf, Thailand, United States, Preah Sihanouk, AFP, Horn of Africa, “, South, Taiwan, Virginia, —, Sri Lanka, Bata , Equatorial Guinea, Gwadar, Pakistan, Kribi, Cameroon, Ream, Vanuatu, Nacala, Mozambique, Nouakchott, Mauritania, Colombo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, West Africa, South China, East Asia, East, Asia, Washington In Washington, Nanchang, Qingdao, Shandong province, Massachusetts

☆ 'Why is there no sex in movies anymore?' asks Yorgos Lanthimos
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] The 80th Venice Film Festival - Premiere for the film "Poor Things" in competition - Red Carpet - Venice, Italy, September 1, 2023 - Director Yorgos Lanthimos poses. The picture was made by Yorgos Lanthimos and stars Emma Stone as Bella Baxter, a young woman brought back to life after committing suicide in Victorian London. So you can understand that there is a shorthand," Lanthimos said, adding this meant the actor understood why the myriad sex scenes were needed. Stone also produced "Poor Things", which meant she was involved in the decision-making from the word go. "Poor Things" is one of 23 movies competing for the prestigious Golden Lion award at the Venice Film Festival, which runs until Sept. 9.

Persons: Yorgos Lanthimos, Yara, Emma Stone, Bella Baxter, Mark Ruffalo, Stone, Lanthimos, Emma, Alasdair Gray, Elle McAlpine, it's Bella, Mike Davidson, Crispian Balmer, Alison Williams Organizations: REUTERS, Hollywood, Golden Lion, Venice Film, Thomson Locations: Venice, Italy, Victorian London, Paris

☆ A Nicaraguan Novelist Betrayed by the Revolution He Helped Build
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Benjamin P. Russell | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Sergio Ramírez has been forced into exile twice; once for his role in a revolution and once after writing, in a work of fiction, about what that revolution became. “When it comes to suppressing freedom and exercising absolute power, the distance between left and right is erased,” Ramírez said. “They want the same things.”It’s not hard to see why authoritarians of varying stripes might want Ramírez to just go away. Ramírez was an intellectual leader of the Nicaraguan revolution that ousted the right wing dictator Anastasio Somoza in 1979. He is also the prizewinning author of dozens of novels, short story collections and works of nonfiction.

Persons: Sergio Ramírez, he’s, ” Ramírez, “, ” It’s, Ramírez, Anastasio Somoza Organizations: Sandinista National Liberation Front Locations: Nicaraguan

☆ China hones anti-submarine capabilities amid South China Sea tensions
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Tyrone Siu/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBEIJING, Aug 31 (Reuters) - China's military said it had recently held intensive anti-submarine exercises in the strategically important South China Sea as part of efforts to hone its capabilities amid rising maritime tensions with its neighbours and their allies. It was one of several such drills this year and was part of broader activities the Chinese military has conducted in the Indo-Pacific region. The United States and its allies have also stepped up military activities, especially in the South China Sea, most of which is claimed by Beijing. Last week, the U.S. and Indonesian defence chiefs said China's territorial claims in the South China Sea were "inconsistent with international law". "Japan and the United States have frequent submarine activities in the region," said Chinese military commentator Song Zhongping, but those activities were not disclosed.

Persons: Tyrone Siu, Song Zhongping, Albee Zhang, Ryan Woo, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Community Emergency, Team, REUTERS, Rights, Southern Command Theatre, China's, Liberation Army, Beijing, U.S . Navy, Seventh Fleet, Thomson Locations: Hong Kong, China, Rights BEIJING, South China, United States, U.S, Philippine, Japan, Australia, Britain

☆ A Meal in France Showed Me the Brilliance of Simplicity
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Ligaya Mishan | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Once I tried out the line “Remember who you were before you had a permanent address.” The client scoffed. At the time I lived in a converted garage by a cemetery, the third place I’d moved in a year. The restaurant was unexceptional — plastic chairs, coarse tablecloths, low guttering candles — and perfect. In the maze of the old quarter, we sat at a table outside, on stone stairs descending from another century. The restaurant was unexceptional — plastic chairs, coarse tablecloths, low guttering candles — and perfect.

Persons: ”, I’d, Chantal, Audrey Hepburn’s, Olivier ducking, Lukas, Sasha, Mark, salade, “ Locations: Hawaii, Switzerland, Thailand, Myanmar

☆ Soaring youth joblessness is driving record-setting enrollment at China's military academies
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Jack Lau | South China Morning Post | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Total intake at China's military academies is the highest since 2017 and 2,000 more than last year. The total intake — spread across China's 27 military academies that accept high-school graduates — was 2,000 more than last year, the People's Liberation Army (PLA)'s official newspaper reported on Tuesday. Almost all places for this cohort had been filled, the PLA Daily report said. STR/AFP via Getty ImagesThe Central Military Commission — China's top military command, chaired by President Xi Jinping — announced the new standards in March. AdvertisementAdvertisementHowever, China's military academies offer far more places for men than for women.

Persons: —, Chen Bin, Xi Jinping —, Air Defence —, Xi, Liu Yang, Zhu Yuemeng, Dong Jun Organizations: Service, People's Liberation Army, PLA, Getty, PLA Daily, Military Commission, PLA Army Academy of Artillery, Air Defence Locations: Wall, Silicon, Beijing, Huainan, Hefei, Shandong, China, Liaoning

☆ Ukrainian soldier says Russia has an edge in the air and its powerful bombs are among the 'biggest fears' for front-line forces
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Moscow's guided bombs are among the 'biggest fears' for front-line forces, the soldier said. Ukrainian forces have since gotten better about eliminating these threats, but others remain, such as Russian aircraft that can release guided bombs at a distance. "KAB's are one of the biggest fears," Solonko said, referring to Russia's arsenal of guided bombs. Solonko's commentary came just after Ukrainian forces raised the country's flag in Robotyne, a small village in the Zaporizhzhia region. In the video, a soldier described the covert nighttime mission to raise the Ukrainian flag in Robotyne.

Persons: Oleksandr Solonko, Solonko, Volodymyr Zelenskyy Organizations: Service, Ukrainian, 128th, Brigade, Territorial Defence Forces, 47th Mechanized Brigade, Ukrainian Armed Forces Locations: Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Zaporizhzhia, Robotyne

☆ China's 'aggressive behaviour' in South China Sea must be challenged - U.S. Navy official
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Acquire Licensing Rights Read moreMANILA, Aug 27 (Reuters) - China's "aggressive behaviour" in the South China Sea, including the use of water canon by its coast guard against a Philippine vessel, must be challenged and checked, the commander of the U.S. Navy's Seventh Fleet said on Sunday. It operates over an area of 124 million square km (48 million square miles) from bases in Japan, South Korea and Singapore. On Saturday, Thomas said he joined a flight from Manila "to go out and check out the South China Sea". The Philippines won an international arbitration award against China in 2016, after a tribunal said Beijing's sweeping claim to sovereignty over most of the South China Sea had no legal basis. China has built militarised, manmade islands in the South China Sea and its claim of historic sovereignty overlaps with the exclusive economic zones of the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia.

Persons: Arleigh Burke, Karl Thomas, they're, you've, Thomas, There's, Alberto Carlos, Karen Lema, Nick Macfie Organizations: People's Liberation Army, Navy, U.S . Navy, Communication, Navy's, Fleet, Seventh Fleet, Reuters, U.S, Philippine Western Command, Philippines, China, South China, Thomson Locations: South, MANILA, South China, Philippine, Philippines, U.S, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Manila, Beijing, China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia

☆ Incumbent Claims Victory in Zimbabwe Election Amid Fraud Accusations
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-26 | by ( John Eligon | More About John Eligon | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“We reject any result hastily assembled without proper verification,” Promise Mkwananzi, the party spokesman, wrote on Twitter shortly after the results were announced. Mr. Mugabe was removed in a coup in 2017 by Mr. Mnangagwa and his allies. The following year, Mr. Mnangagwa eked out a victory over Mr. Chamisa in an election, winning just over 50 percent of the vote. The Zimbabwean police drew global condemnation for arresting dozens of members of one of the country’s most respected election watchdogs on election night, accusing them of plotting to sow discord by releasing projected election results. The night after the raid, ZANU-PF officials offered their own election projections at a news conference, and drew no ire from the police.

Persons: “, Mnangagwa, Robert Mugabe, autocrat, Mugabe, Chamisa Organizations: Twitter, Mr, Zimbabwean, ZANU Locations: Zimbabwe, African

☆ Ukraine says it hit Russian military base in annexed Crimea
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Aug 26 (Reuters) - Ukraine's GUR military intelligence agency said on Friday a Ukrainian drone attack had hit a Russian military base deep inside annexed Crimea, while residents reported casualties, explosions and a road closure. Ukrainian intelligence officials said the attack struck Russia's 126th Coastal Defence Brigade based in Perevalnoye, a town more than 200 km (120 miles) from Ukraine-controlled territory. Moscow annexed Ukraine's Crimea in 2014, declaring it Russian territory. The United States says it supports Ukrainian attacks on Russian military targets on the Black Sea peninsula of because it should be demilitarised. "Why was a gate to the military town closed?"

Persons: Ukraine's, Andriy Yusov, Kyrylo Budanov, Abdul Has, Vlad, Julia Julia, Lis, Maria Tsvetkova, William Mallard Organizations: Coastal Defence Brigade, Thomson Locations: Ukrainian, Russian, Crimea, Russia, Russia's, Perevalnoye, Ukraine, Moscow, Ukraine's Crimea, United States, New York

☆ Italy's president calls for more legal migration to beat people trafficking
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Juan Medina/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsROME, Aug 25 (Reuters) - The European Union should allow more legal migration into its borders to stop people trafficking, Italian President Sergio Mattarella said on Friday, amid a surge in arrivals by sea to his country. Meloni's government has partly followed Mattarella's advice, saying in July it would raise entry quotas for non-EU migrant workers to 452,000 for 2023-2025. The Italian president, who as head of state is a non-partisan figure, said action needed to be taken at EU level. Migration has long been a political hot potato within the bloc, hampering joint decisions by its 27 member states. "This drawing reminds me that, behind the migration numbers and percentages which we often list, there are countless individual people, each one with their own story, projects, dreams, future," the president said.

Persons: Juan Medina, Sergio Mattarella, Giorgia Meloni's, Mattarella, Alvise Armellini, Christina Fincher Organizations: Uno, Guardia, REUTERS, Rights, European, Thomson Locations: Lampedusa, Italy, North Africa, Rimini, Europe

☆ Ukraine says its special forces pulled off a daring amphibious raid into occupied Crimea, hit Russian troops, and raised the flag on the peninsula
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Jake Epstein | Nathan Rennolds | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Ukrainian special forces made a surprise amphibious raid into occupied Crimea on Thursday. Kyiv's military intelligence agency said its troops engaged with Russians and raised a flag there. It is the latest in a string of engagements around Crimea, which Ukraine has vowed to liberate from Russia. The amphibious raid — and symbolic flag raising — also comes as Ukraine observes its 32nd Independence Day. Indeed, many of Kyiv's Western military backers sent messages to mark Ukrainian Independence Day, renewing commitments to keep supporting the country with economic and security assistance.

Persons: HUR, —, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, General Budanov, Zelenskyy, Kyrylo Budanov, Putin, Budanov, Sophia, Lloyd Austin Organizations: Service, Directorate of Intelligence, Ukraine's Defense Forces, Ukrainian, REUTERS, NATO, US Locations: Crimea, Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Crimean, Russian, Russia, Ukraine's, Olenivka, Moscow, Kyiv, Kerch, Ukrainian, REUTERS Ukraine, Kyiv's St, United States

Independence Day in Ukraine commemorates the country’s 1991 break from the Soviet Union, but also increasingly serves as a rallying point for Ukrainians to assert their identity and aspirations. Ukraine declared independence on Aug. 24, 1991, a few days after communist hard-liners tried to depose the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and reverse his efforts to liberalize the Soviet Union. Celebrations of Independence Day have often featured military parades and festive crowds wearing vyshyvankas, the traditional Ukrainian embroidered shirts. But Mr. Szporluk, the historian, said that Ukrainians see Independence Day not so much as a day of remembrance as one to reassert their commitment to democracy and sovereignty. On Wednesday, Mr. Zelensky took part in a ceremony on the occasion of the Day of the National Flag, which precedes Independence Day.

Persons: —, “, ” Vitali Klitschko, ”, Roman Szporluk, Volodymyr Zelensky, Mikhail Gorbachev, Lenin, Szporluk, Mr, Zelensky Organizations: Harvard Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, Russia, Soviet Union, Europe, Moscow, ”, Independence, Russian, Ukrainian

☆ New video captures the moment Ukrainian forces destroyed a Russian S-400, a rare loss of a prized and formidable air-defense system
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Ukraine published a video on Wednesday showing the moment it destroyed a Russian S-400. The S-400 is formidable air-defense system that has drawn comparisons to the US Patriot battery. Kyiv's military intelligence said in a statement that the attack dealt a "painful blow" to Russia. Russia's advanced S-400 Triumf is a mobile, surface-to-air system that's capable of shooting down targets at high altitudes and long ranges. According to open-source intelligence site Oryx, Moscow's military had lost just three S-400 launchers and one command post for the system.

Persons: that's, HUR, Anton Gerashchenko, ANDREY SMIRNOV, It's, Kyrylo Budanov, Budanov, Wednesday's Organizations: US Patriot, Service, Ukrainian, Directorate of Intelligence, American Patriot, Getty, Kyiv Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Russia, Wall, Silicon, Crimean, Olenivka, Kyiv, Crimea, Moscow, British, Western, Kerch

☆ Colombia attorney general stands by claim that ELN rebels plan to kill him
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Francisco Barbosa, Colombian Attorney General speaks during an interview with Reuters in Bogota, Colombia March 24, 2023. REUTERS/Luisa Gonzalez/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBOGOTA, Aug 23 (Reuters) - Colombia's attorney general on Wednesday defended the credibility of intelligence reports that ELN rebels were plotting to kill him and two other people despite denials by the ELN and military. Two weeks ago, Attorney General Francisco Barbosa reported that the National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrilla group planned to assassinate him using a sniper. The ELN has denied it planned the attacks, while Colombia's government has said it had no received no such reports. For two years, intelligence sources have known about the ELN's plan to carry out an attack in Bogota, the attorney general's statement said.

Persons: Francisco Barbosa, Luisa Gonzalez, General Francisco Barbosa, Maria Fernanda Cabal, Eduardo Zapateiro, ELN, Barbosa, Ivan Velasquez, Antonio Garcia, Luis Jaime Acosta, Oliver Griffin, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: Colombian, Reuters, REUTERS, Rights, Wednesday, National Liberation Army, Democratic Center, Defense, Twitter, Thomson Locations: Bogota, Colombia, Rights BOGOTA, Colombia's

The hospital where Warren George worked as a nurse in Zimbabwe was so short of basic supplies, like plaster, that he could not make casts to treat people with broken bones. He soon sought to join the exodus of more than 4,000 nurses who have fled the southern African nation in the past two years. But the government has refused to give him and many others the documents they would need to work in, say, Britain or Canada. He says that he now earns only about $500 a month as a traveling nurse and has to pick up extra shifts on his days off to ensure his family has enough to eat. Zimbabweans are scheduled to go to the polls on Wednesday in only the second election since Robert Mugabe, the liberation leader turned strongman president, was ousted in a coup.

Persons: Warren George, Robert Mugabe Locations: Zimbabwe, Britain, Canada

☆ US trip pays off for Taiwan VP with China drills more 'thunder than rain'
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Ben Blanchard | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

China has a particular dislike of Lai, the frontrunner in polls ahead of January's presidential election, due to his previous comments about being a "worker for Taiwan independence". In his public events he talked about peace and dialogue, though he also said that Taiwan would not back down in the face of threats. "These drills were a lot of thunder, but less rain." 'NO SURPRISES'Lo Chih-cheng, a senior lawmaker for the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, said Lai's trip was also about the broader process of showing him to the United States as a steady and trustworthy leader. China could take other, trade-related, steps to punish Taiwan, having previously stopped Taiwanese fruit and fish imports.

Persons: William Lai, Carlos Garcia Rawlins, Lai, Ma Chen, Shen Dingli, Lai Ching, Lo Chih, cheng, Lo, Ko Wen, Xi Jinping, Ben Blanchard, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: International Airport, REUTERS, Rights, Taiwan, U.S, Liberation Army, National Defence University, United States, Relations, Democratic Progressive Party, Taiwanese Public, National Taiwan Normal University's Graduate, of Political, Thomson Locations: United States, New York, Paraguay, Taoyuan, Taiwan, Rights TAIPEI, China, U.S, United, Shanghai, Taipei, Beijing, Washington, Asia

☆ A BRICS no-show speaks volumes about Putin's shrinking horizons
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-20 | by ( Nathan Hodge | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

But Putin will be notably absent from a key global forum this week, the BRICS summit in Johannesburg. His no-show speaks volumes about Russia’s isolation – and Putin’s shrinking horizons. Bolstering such support against the background of the war on Ukraine was a key aim of Putin’s recent Russia-Africa summit in St. Petersburg. The Kremlin, of course, bristles at any implication that Putin is ducking out of the BRICS summit because of an ICC warrant. Russia, after all, is waging a war on Ukraine that Putin has justified in starkly imperial terms.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, he’ll, Alexander Lukashenko, Cyril Ramaphosa, Xi Jinping, Luiz Lula da Silva, Narendra Modi –, Sergey Lavrov, Omar al, Bashir –, Darfur –, Dmitry Peskov, ”, Lavrov, “ Organizations: CNN, Kremlin, Putin, South, Indian, International Criminal, ICC, Hague, Russian, UN Security Council Locations: Ukraine, Moscow, Beijing, Central Asia, Iran, Minsk, Belarusian, Russia, Johannesburg, Russian, Africa, St . Petersburg, Latin America, Asia, South Africa, Darfur, BRICS, United States

☆ China launches drills in angry response to Taiwan vice president's trip to U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-19 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The U.S. says it's closely monitoring China's drills around Taiwan after Beijing began three days of military exercises around the island. Greg Baker | AFP | Getty ImagesChina launched military drills around Taiwan on Saturday as a "serious warning" to separatist forces in an angry but widely expected response to Vice President William Lai's visit to the United States, drawing condemnation from Taipei. Taiwan's government strongly condemned the drills, with the defense ministry saying it had the ability, determination, and confidence to ensure national security. "The Republic of China, Taiwan, is a sovereign country and has a legitimate and legal right to conduct normal diplomatic interactions with friendly countries," it added in a statement, using the island's formal name. Taiwan's defense ministry released a short video of undated footage showing Taiwanese forces at sea, on city streets and across the countryside.

Persons: Greg Baker, William Lai's, Joseph Wu, Joe Biden Organizations: PLA Navy, Beijing, AFP, Getty Images China, Eastern Theatre Command, Mainland Affairs Council, U.S, Taiwan Locations: Taiwan, China's, Fujian, U.S, United States, Taipei . Lai, Paraguay, China, Beijing, Republic of China, South Korea, Japan

China views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, despite the strong objections of the island's government. "This is a serious warning against Taiwan independence separatist forces colluding with external forces to provoke," it said. China has a particular dislike of Lai for his previous comments that he was a "practical worker for Taiwan independence". The United States, like most countries, has no formal ties with Taiwan but is its strongest international backer, bound by law to provide the island with the means to defend itself. China has over the past three years ramped up military pressure on Taiwan, including sending military aircraft and warships near the island.

Persons: William Lai, Nancy Pelosi, Tsai Ing, Kevin McCarthy, Lai, Deb Haaland, King Felipe VI, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Casey Hall, Ben Blanchard, Greg Torode, William Mallard Organizations: Joint Staff Office, Defense Ministry of Japan, Reuters, Eastern Theatre Command, U.S . House, U.S, Beijing, Communist Party, Thomson Locations: Okinawa, Miyako, SHANGHAI, TAIPEI, Taiwan, United States, Taipei . Lai, Paraguay, China, Taipei, California, South, Asuncion

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