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☆ ‘Lost’ Botticelli masterpiece worth $109 million found in home in southern Italy
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Jack Guy | Barbie Latza Nadeau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Rome CNN —A painting by the 15th-century master Sandro Botticelli, recorded as missing since the 1980s, has been found at a home in southern Italy. The depiction of the Virgin Mary and infant Christ was discovered in a home in the town of Gragnano, near Naples, according to the Carabinieri Cultural Heritage Protection Unit of Naples. The painting by the artist most famous for “The Birth of Venus” and “Primavera” is estimated by Italian authorities to be worth at least €100 million ($109 million). “The family continues to hold the title of the work, which, however, will be preserved in a museum,” Croce added. The Somma family declined to comment when contacted by CNN.

Persons: Rome, Rome CNN —, Sandro Botticelli, Virgin Mary, Christ, Venus ”, Santa Maria la Carità, Massimiliano Croce, Croce, ” Croce, “, Botticelli Organizations: Rome CNN, Protection Unit of Naples, Primavera, Roman Catholic Church, CNN, Cultural Locations: Italy, Gragnano, Naples, Neapolitan, Santa, State

☆ Italy Searches for Museum Leaders, With Nationalism in the Air
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Elisabetta Povoledo | More About Elisabetta Povoledo | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Ten candidates are up for each job. The final selection will be made sometime next month by Gennaro Sangiuliano, Italy’s culture minister, and Massimo Osanna, the ministry’s director overseeing museums. It has been eight years since a reform granted some Italian arts institutions greater autonomy and opened up the position of museum director to people from outside the culture ministry’s ranks. The then-culture minister, Dario Franceschini, sought applications from foreigners to shake up the museum sector, even publishing the job advertisement in The Economist magazine. At the first 20 museums affected by the reform, Franceschini appointed seven foreigners and several Italians with experience abroad, who were hired for a four-year contract, that could be renewed once.

Persons: whittle, Gennaro Sangiuliano, Massimo Osanna, Dario Franceschini, Franceschini Organizations: Culture Ministry, Brera, Economist Locations: Florence, Naples, Milan

Russia has added the spokesman of U.S. technology company Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, to a wanted list, according to an online database maintained by the country’s interior ministry. The interior ministry’s database doesn't give details of the case against Stone, stating only that he is wanted on criminal charges. In March this year, Russia's federal Investigative Committee opened a criminal investigation into Meta. It alleged that the company's actions following Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022 amounted to inciting violence against Russians. In April 2022, Russia also formally barred Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg from entering the country.

Persons: Andy Stone, Stone, Meta didn't, Mediazona, ’ ”, couldn't, X, Mark Zuckerberg Organizations: Meta, Tass, federal, Russian, Facebook, Twitter Locations: Russia, Russian, Ukraine

☆ China welcomes Arab, Muslim majority nations in Beijing for Israel-Hamas conflict talks
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Hong Kong CNN —China welcomed officials from Arab and Muslim majority countries on Monday for talks on “de-escalating” the Israel-Hamas conflict as Beijing steps-up its efforts to play a role in establishing a ceasefire. Zhai’s itinerary thus far has not included stops in Israel, Palestinian-controlled territories, or Iran, per information released by China’s Foreign Ministry. It’s not clear if China has been in contact with Hamas officials during the latest conflict. Visiting officials in Beijing this week include Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki of the West Bank-based Palestinian National Authority. In the talks, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said they’d already held discussions with the Iranians on the topic, the senior official said.

Persons: “, Wang Yi, Washington –, Zhang Jun, Zhai Jun, Zhai, Wang, Eli Cohen, Riyad al, Xi Jinping, Joe Biden, Biden, Xi, they’d Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Palestinian National Authority, of Islamic Cooperation, CNN, Israel Defense Forces, United Nations, Security Council, UN, Hamas, Foreign Ministry, China’s Foreign Ministry, Israeli, Palestinian, West Bank, Palestinian National Authority ., Ministry’s Locations: Hong Kong, China, Israel, Beijing, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Indonesia, United States, Gulf, Qatar, Washington, Gaza, United, Palestine, UAE, Turkey, Bahrain, Singapore, Europe, Palestinian, Iran, Palestinian National Authority . China, Lebanon, California

☆ Gaza: UNICEF defends accuracy of death toll as horror unfolds in ravaged enclave
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Israel’s offensive on Gaza has since razed neighborhoods and bombed thousands of what it says are Hamas targets, including in refugee camps. But UNICEF spokesperson James Elder said on Tuesday the organization’s estimates closely align with the ministry’s, saying: “Our numbers were within a couple of percent of that, almost identical.”“At UNICEF we are very, very precise with our numbers. “Nothing justifies the horror being endured by civilians in Gaza,” WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier said during a press briefing. Aid convoy attackedEven humanitarian aid is not guaranteed safe passage through the bombarded streets of Gaza, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). “Now, for nearly one month, civilians in Gaza, including children and women, have been besieged, denied aid, killed, and bombed out of their homes,” Guterres said in the statement.

Persons: James Elder, “, ”, Joe Biden, Christian Lindmeier, António Guterres, Emily Callahan, –, Cross, ” William Schomburg, ” Guterres, Israel, Guterres Organizations: CNN —, UNICEF, Palestinian Ministry of Health, Hamas, Israel Defense Forces, CNN, UNICEF –, Humanitarian Affairs, Health Organization, WHO, UN, Aid, International Committee, ICRC, Israel’s Locations: Gaza, Ramallah, Israel, ”, Gaza City, Al

☆ China blames Canada for ‘malicious, provocative’ moves after close midair intercepts over South China Sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Nectar Gan | Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Hong Kong CNN —China has accused Canada of carrying out “malicious and provocative” actions in the South China Sea, after the Canadian Navy said Chinese fighter jets endangered a helicopter in two close intercepts above international waters. However, the Canadian helicopter not only refused to respond, but also took provocative actions such as flying at ultra-low altitudes,” Zhang said in a statement posted on the ministry’s website. China claims historic jurisdiction over almost the entirety of the vast South China Sea, which is a resource rich and vital international shipping route. In 2016, an international tribunal in The Hague concluded that China has no legal basis to claim historic rights to the bulk of the South China Sea. In mid-October, a Chinese fighter jet came within 5 meters (16 feet) of a Canadian CP-140 reconnaissance and surveillance plane over the East China Sea.

Persons: Rob Millen, Bill Blair, ” Zhang Xiaogang, Canada’s, ” Zhang, Millen, Iain Huddleston, Huddleston, ” Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Canadian Navy, CNN, Canadian, People’s Liberation Army, PLA, Navy, Royal Canadian Navy, . Canadian Defense, China’s Defense Ministry, Chinese Defense Ministry, Liberation Army, 1st Air Division, Radio Canada, Canada’s Defense Ministry, Ministry Locations: China, Hong Kong, Canada, South China, Chinese, Ottawa, China’s, Vietnam, Taiwan, Beijing, The Hague, East

CNN —Dozens were killed and many more injured in a blast at the Al-Maghazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip late Saturday night, according to an official at a nearby hospital and eyewitnesses who spoke with CNN. One resident of the camp told CNN: “We were sitting in our homes, suddenly we heard a very, very powerful sound of an explosion. People check the damage at the Al-Maghazi refugee camp on Sunday. Alaloul, who is a freelance photojournalist with the Turkish news agency Anadolu, said his home was destroyed in an Israeli airstrike that targeted the Al-Maghazi refugee camp. The Al-Maghazi refugee camp is located in the central part of the coastal enclave south of Wadi Gaza, the waterway that divides north from south Gaza.

Persons: Mohammad al Hajj, Dr Eyad Abu Zaher, ”, Khalil Al, “, Mahmud Hams, Muhammed Alaloul, Alaloul, Kenan, Rahaf, Ahmad, …, Qais, ” Alaloul, Jamal Al Aloul, Samah Shaqoura, CNN “, Sundos Shaqura, Israel, Antony Blinken, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Blinken, Mohammed Shia, ” “ Israel, We’ve Organizations: CNN, Hamas, of Health, Al, Israel Defense Forces, Aqsa Martyr’s Hospital, IDF, Getty, Israel, Palestinian Ministry of Health, Sunday, Anadolu, United Nations Relief, Works Agency, Iraqi Locations: Gaza, Aqsa, AFP, Wadi Gaza, Ramallah, Turkish, Jordan, Iraq, Sudani, Baghdad

ROME (AP) — A diver who spotted something metallic not far from Sardinia's coast has led to the discovery of tens of thousands of ancient bronze coins. The ministry didn't say exactly when the first diver caught a glimpse of something metallic just off shore Sardinia, not far from the town of Arzachena. A ministry statement estimated that there are at least about 30,000 and possibly as many as 50,000, given their collective weight. The coins were mainly found in a wide area of sand between the underwater seagrass and the beach, the ministry said. Given the location and shape of the seabed, there could be remains of ship wreckage nearby, the ministry said.

Persons: hasn’t, Luigi La Rocca, La Rocca Organizations: ROME Locations: Sardinia's, Sardinia, Arzachena, Sardinian

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The average Gazan is living on two pieces of Arabic bread made from flour the U.N. had stockpiled in the region, yet the main refrain now being heard in the street is “Water, water,” the Gaza director for the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees said Friday. Political Cartoons View All 1234 Images“Many people are relying on brackish or saline ground water, if at all,” she said. Fuel, he said, is essential for the functioning of institutions, hospitals and the distribution of water and electricity. An average of 4,000 displaced Gazans are living in the schools without the resources to maintain proper sanitation, he said. The U.N. can’t provide them safety, White said, pointing to over 50 UNRWA facilities impacted by the conflict, including five direct hits.

Persons: Thomas White, ”, White, “, U.N, Lynn Hastings, Martin Griffiths, ” Hastings, ’, can’t, Griffiths, Antonio Guterres, Riyad Mansour, Israel, ” Mansour Organizations: UNITED NATIONS, United Nations, UNRWA Locations: Gaza, Palestinian, Israel, Egypt, United States, dependently, israel

An Israeli official said that the government was assessing the data, which was released before Friday’s bombardment. The high number of children reported killed — about 40 percent of the total — is broadly in line with the high share of children in the Gazan population. In total, the list named 2,665 children who have been killed and 2,902 women and girls. The date of death is not listed for each individual, but a separate summary of the deaths from the health ministry indicates that the toll has been increasing in recent days. The ministry said the list did not include an additional 281 people who had been killed but could not be identified, bringing the total number to 7,028.

Persons: —, Biden, Mr, ”, “, Omar Shakir Organizations: Hamas, Gaza, Ahli Arab Hospital, U.S, Rights Watch, UNICEF Locations: Gaza, Al, Ahli, Israel, Palestine, Afghanistan, Africa

The ministry said the actual number of dead is likely to be much higher than stated in the report. The Palestinian Authority is run by a rival faction to Hamas, though the umbrella Ministry of Health maintains a relationship with the ministry in Gaza. But international agencies, including the United Nations and the World Health Organization (WHO), report figures provided by the Gaza ministry. The Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority, Mohammad Shtayyeh, criticized Biden’s remarks, saying his health authority in the West Bank believed the Gaza numbers to be accurate. “I don’t have the numbers of people killed in Gaza Strip,” IDF Lieutenant Colonel Richard Hecht told CNN.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, John Kirby, Mohammad Shtayyeh, Biden’s, don’t, ”, Al Jazeera, Michael Ryan, “, Kirby, we’ve, Richard Hecht Organizations: CNN, Wednesday, White, Hamas, Palestinian, West Bank, Palestinian Authority, Health, United Nations, World Health Organization, WHO, Al, Ministry of Health, ”, US State Department, Ahli Arab Hospital Locations: Gaza, Israel, Ramallah, al, Ahli, Gaza City, Israeli

RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli troops and tanks briefly raided northern Gaza overnight, the military said Thursday, engaging with Hamas fighters and targeting anti-tank weapons in order to “prepare the battlefield” before an expected ground invasion. Israel has imposed a suffocating siege on Gaza since Hamas’ bloody rampage and hostage-taking across southern Israel ignited the war. The Israeli military says it only strikes militant targets and accuses Hamas of operating among civilians in an attempt to protect its fighters. That is more than three times the number of Palestinians killed in the six-week-long Gaza war in 2014. On Wednesday, the wife, son, daughter and grandson of Wael Dahdouh, a veteran Al-Jazeera correspondent in Gaza, were killed in an Israeli strike.

Persons: Khan Younis, Israel, Benny Gantz, ”, Daniel Hagari, ” Israel, Wael Dahdouh, William Schomburg, “, ___ Chehayeb, Wafaa, Jack Jeffery, Brian Melley Organizations: Health Ministry, Hamas, ’, West Bank, The United, Gaza Health Ministry, Al, UNRWA, International Committee, World Health Organization, Shifa, United Nations, United Locations: RAFAH, Gaza, Israel, Petah Tikva, Iranian, Lebanon, Syria, The United States, Jazeera, Palestinian, Egypt, Jordan, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Morocco, Beirut, Teibel, Jerusalem, Deir al, Cairo, London

☆ Canada removes 41 diplomats from India as dispute over Sikh activist’s assassination deepens
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Paula Newton | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Ottawa CNN —Canada has withdrawn 41 diplomats and their families from India after New Delhi threatened to revoke their diplomatic immunity amid a deepening dispute over the assassination of a Sikh activist. Given the implications of India’s actions on the safety of our diplomats, we have facilitated their safe departure from India,” Joly told a press conference in Ottawa. Joly said those diplomats and their families had already left India while 21 Canadian diplomats remained in the country. Joly added the Canadian government would not retaliate in kind, saying that to do so would be a violation of international law. Nijjar was an outspoken supporter of the creation of a separate Sikh homeland that would include parts of India and be known as Khalistan.

Persons: Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Justin Trudeau, Mélanie Joly, India’s, ” Joly, Joly, “, Hardeep Singh, Nijjar, ” Nijjar’s Organizations: Ottawa CNN —, Canadian Foreign Affairs, Sikh Organization of Canada, India’s, Indian National Investigation Agency, Khalistan Locations: Ottawa CNN — Canada, India, New Delhi, British Columbia, Canada, Ottawa

☆ Gaza Hospital Blast Reverberates Across Muslim World
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( Omar Abdel-Baqui | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Police in Lebanon fired tear gas at protesters near the U.S. embassy in Beirut as protests erupted across the Middle East, including in Turkey and Jordan, following a blast at a hospital compound in Gaza. Photo: Bilal Hussein/Associated PressThe explosion at a Gaza hospital Tuesday night set off a wave of protests across much of the Middle East and the broader Muslim world, some of them calling for death to Israel. Hamas immediately blamed Israeli air strikes for the blast at the Al-Ahli Arab hospital and said 500 people had been killed. Israel, the U.S. and independent security experts on Wednesday cast doubt on Hamas claims, saying the preliminary evidence pointed to a Palestinian militant group. The amount of damage also appears inconsistent with the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry’s assertion on Wednesday that 471 people were killed, experts said.

Persons: Bilal Hussein Organizations: Associated Press, Al, Hamas Locations: Lebanon, U.S, Beirut, Turkey, Jordan, Gaza, Israel, Ahli, Palestinian

☆ China wants to be a peace broker in the Middle East. How has it responded to the Israel-Gaza war?
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Experts say this initial response may expose Beijing’s limited influence in the region, despite official propaganda talking up China as the world’s new peacemaker. Yuval Waks, a senior official at the Israeli Embassy in Beijing, said his country expected a “stronger condemnation” of Hamas from China. State media coverageDespite its claims of neutrality, coverage of the conflict on China’s state-run television appears more slanted. Chinese state media were also quick to blame the US for the conflict now raging in the heart of the Middle East. “China looks at Israel as an opportunity to get points with the broader Arab world and the rest of the developing world.

Persons: Mahmoud Abbas, Xi Jinping, Jonathan Fulton, they’re, Yuval Waks, ” Waks, Chuck Schumer, Xi, “, ” Schumer, Mao Ning, ”, Zhang Jun, Beijing’s, Phil Cunningham, Israel –, Abbas, –, Israel, ” Fulton, Fulton, Benjamin Netanyahu Organizations: CNN, Hamas, Atlantic Council, China’s, Embassy, Reuters, US, Foreign, United Nation, European Union, Global Times, Communist, USS Ford, US Air Force, UN Security Council, Palestinian, Palestinian Authority, West Bank, ”, Israel, Washington, Israeli Locations: China, Beijing, Israel, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Gaza, Palestinian, Palestine, Abu Dhabi, United States, Europe, Asia, Africa, Latin America, State, ”, Russia, Hamas, Ukraine, Xinjiang, Fulton, Haifa, Iraq, Oman –

As the subjects of a preliminary investigation, neither Arnault nor Sarkisov are suspects and neither has been accused of wrongdoing. The investigation, apparently ongoing, will not fail to prove this.”“Besides, who can seriously imagine that Mr Bernard Arnault, who has built the leading French and European company over 40 years, would engage money laundering to expand a hotel?” Laffont added. CNN has contacted Tracfin and Sarkisov for comment. LVMH is once again Europe’s biggest company by market capitalization, after being briefly dethroned last month by Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk (NVO). Arnault’s company encompasses luxury fashion and drinks brands such as Louis Vuitton and Moet & Chandon.

Persons: London CNN —, Bernard Arnault, ”, Arnault, Nikolai Sarkisov, Tracfin, Sarkisov, Arnault’s LVMH, Arnault’s, Jacqueline Laffont, Cheval, Laffont, Le, “, Elon Musk, Louis Vuitton, Moet, Chandon Organizations: London CNN, Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office, CNN, SNC, Bloomberg, Elon, Europe’s, Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk Locations: Paris, London, Russian, Sarkisov, Courchevel, Blanc, Cheval Blanc, “, Danish

Paris CNN —The United Nations’ human rights office has criticized the French government for banning French athletes from wearing the hijab at the Paris Olympics next year. That means a ban on any type of proselytising and the absolute neutrality of the public service,” Oudéa-Castera told state broadcaster France 3. According to the ruling earlier this year, “the principle of public service neutrality applies to sports federations which are in charge of a public service. She added the rules applying to other athletes will be set by each international federation, under the supervision of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). “There will be heterogeneity between sports,” the French minister added.

Persons: “, ”, Maria Hurtado, ” Hurtado, Amélie Oudéa, Castéra, Castera Organizations: Paris CNN —, United Nations, Paris Olympics, UN, Human, French Sports, Sunday, France, CNN, International Olympic Committee Locations: France

☆ Opinion: It doesn’t take an Agatha Christie detective to work out something’s up in Xi’s China
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Sheena Mckenzie | Opinion Frida Ghitis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

She is a weekly opinion contributor to CNN, a contributing columnist to The Washington Post and a columnist for World Politics Review. The latest to vanish from view is China’s Defense Minister Li Shangfu. But anti-corruption campaigns are an ideal vehicle for political crackdowns, and in the opaque world of China’s regime, with no official explanation, there’s much that doesn’t meet the eye. (Rahm Emanuel, dripping with sarcasm, joked that the unemployment rate among Xi’s ministers might exceed that of China’s young people.) But China, of course, still promotes its system as a superior alternative to western-style democracy; tries to pretend that it’s not a dictatorship.

Persons: Frida Ghitis, Li Shangfu, “ I’m, Nobody, Rahm Emanuel, ”, Xi’s, Agatha Christie’s, Li, China’s, Qin Gang, Qin, Xi Jinping, Wang Yi, Qi, Xi, Mao Zedong, didn’t, Joe Biden, “, Hu Jintao, Hu, chastened, Jack Ma, Jeff Bezos Organizations: CNN, Washington Post, Politics, Frida Ghitis CNN, China’s Defense, People’s Liberation Army, PLA, Twitter, Qin, Street Journal, PLA’s, Force, United Nations General Assembly, Communist Party Congress Locations: China, Japan, Denmark, Vietnam, Beijing, Washington, Russia, Ukraine, Germany

☆ India issues travel advisory for Canada as row over Hardeep Singh Nijjar killing deepens
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

“Recently, threats have particularly targeted Indian diplomats and sections of the Indian community who oppose the anti-India agenda,” an advisory released on Wednesday by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs said. Nijjar was an outspoken supporter of the creation of a separate Sikh homeland known as Khalistan, which would include parts of India’s Punjab state. The Khalistan movement is outlawed in India and considered a national security threat by the government. A number of groups associated with the movement are listed as “terrorist organizations” under India’s Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). His death both shocked and outraged the Sikh community in Canada, one of the largest outside India and home to more than 770,000 members of the religious minority.

Persons: “, ”, Justin Trudeau, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Nijjar Organizations: CNN, Ottawa, Indian Ministry, External Affairs, High Commission of India, BLS, BLS International, Canadian, India’s, Indian National Investigation Agency, Khalistan Locations: India, Canada, New Delhi, Toronto, Vancouver, . New Delhi, United States, India’s Punjab, Surrey, British Columbia

☆ Who was Hardeep Singh Nijjar and what just happened between Canada and India?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Blair Gable/ReutersIndia responded hours later by rejecting Trudeau’s allegations, accusing Canada of harboring terrorists and claiming its inaction against extremists had been a “long-standing” concern. Nijjar’s death in June shocked the Sikh community in Canada, one of the largest outside India with more than 770,000 members. Gurpatwant Singh Pannun told CNN that Nijjar was asked to be careful and avoid giving “big talks” or he would be targeted. India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi shakes hands with the youngest son of Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau while attending a ceremonial reception at the Presidential Palace in New Delhi on February 23, 2018. When Trudeau visited India in 2018, his calendar, which was light on diplomatic meetings, was seen by many as a “snub” from New Delhi.

Persons: Justin Trudeau, Trudeau, Canada wasn’t, ”, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, cratering, Nijjar, Melanie Joly, Blair Gable, –, “, Hardeep Singh, India’s UAPA, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, Pannun, Harsh Pant, Modi, Narendra Modi, Canada's, PRAKASH SINGH, ” Pant, Michael Kugelman, Joe Biden, Rishi Sunak, Australia’s Anthony Albanese, Adrienne Watson, Penny Wong, I’m, ” Kugelman, would’ve “, Kugelman, Canada would’ve Organizations: CNN, Canadian, Canada, Reuters, Canada –, British Columbia Gurdwaras, India’s, Indian National Investigation Agency, Khalistan, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Justice, Observer Research Foundation, India's, AFP, Getty, Indian Army, South Asia Institute, Wilson Center, British, National Security, Australian Foreign Locations: India, New Delhi, United States, Canada, Ottawa, Indian, Reuters India, Canadian, British, Ontario, India’s Punjab, New York, AFP, Toronto, China, Australia, Britain, New Zealand

China’s Foreign Ministry said Beijing was “strongly dissatisfied” with Baerbock’s comments and “firmly opposes” them. “The remarks made by Germany are extremely absurd, seriously infringe on China’s political dignity, and are an open political provocation,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a regular news briefing on Monday. The Chinese Foreign Ministry often leaves out content it deems sensitive from the transcripts of its regular briefings. In June, US President Joe Biden also referred to Xi as a “dictator,” sparking a fierce backlash from Beijing. As a result of this and China’s political decisions, we need to change our approach to China,” the paper said.

Persons: Xi, ”, Berlin’s, Annalena Baerbock, “, Putin, Germany’s, Patricia Flor, Mao Ning, Xi –, Joe Biden, Jiang Zemin, Mike Wallace, Jiang, Deng Xiaoping, Mao Zedong’s, Angela Merkel, Baerbock Organizations: CNN, Fox News, China’s, Ministry, Chinese Foreign Ministry, CBS, South China, Germany’s Greens Locations: China, Germany, United States, Ukraine, Beijing, Berlin, Moscow, Taiwan, South, “ China, Australian

The tit-for-tat diplomatic expulsions came after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canada was investigating “credible allegations” linking India to the June killing of Canadian citizen and prominent Sikh leader, Hardeep Singh Nijjar. India’s foreign ministry on Tuesday responded in kind, saying it had expelled a senior Canadian diplomat based in India. “The concerned diplomat has been asked to leave India within the next five days,” it said in a statement. We have conveyed our concerns at senior levels to India,” a statement shared with CNN said. That operation caused huge anger within the Sikh community and Gandhi was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards in the aftermath.

Persons: Justin Trudeau, Hardeep Singh, ” Trudeau, Mélanie Joly, ”, Trudeau, Joe Biden, Rishi Sunak, “, ” Nijjar, Nijjar, Penny Wong, Narendra Modi, Modi, Guru Nanak, Indira Gandhi, Gandhi Organizations: CNN, Ottawa, British, Sikh Organization, India’s, Indian National Investigation Agency, Khalistan, Government of, Canadian Government, Reuters, Canadian, Relations, Analysts, Indian Army, of, Air Locations: India, New Delhi, Canada, Indian, Ottawa, Canadian, Surrey, British Columbia, Government of India, Canada’s, Toronto, of Canada, Punjab, Britain, Pakistan, Air India, Australia

GENEVA (AP) — The rights situation in Russia has “significantly deteriorated” since President Vladimir Putin launched his war against Ukraine in February last year, an expert commissioned by the U.N.’s top human rights body said in her first report on the country on Monday. Mariana Katzarova, the special rapporteur on Russia's rights situation mandated by the Human Rights Council, chronicled the domestic crackdown that has largely targeted critics of Putin's war as well as other opposition voices in Russia. Her report, made public on Monday, is separate from another probe by U.N.-backed investigators that has accused Russia of war crimes in Ukraine. Last April, barely six weeks after Russia's armed invasion of Ukraine, the U.N. General Assembly suspended Russia's seat in the 47-member-country rights council in Geneva. The rights council is set to discuss it Thursday.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Mariana Katzarova, ”, Katzarova, Ministry’s, Dmitry Peskov, Putin, “ Organizations: GENEVA, Ukraine, Human Rights, U.N, . Security, “, General Assembly, Authorities, Rights, Kremlin Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Britain, China, France, United States, OVD, Geneva, Bulgarian

Two weeks after replacing its defense minister, Ukraine dismissed all six of its deputy ministers on Monday, deepening the housecleaning at a ministry that had drawn criticism for corruption in procurement as the military budget ballooned during the war. Mr. Zelensky is scheduled to address the United Nations General Assembly in person on Tuesday in New York, and later in the week to meet with President Biden and members of Congress in Washington in his ongoing efforts to shore up support for military aid. He is expected to argue that defending Europe’s borders from an expansionist Russia in Ukraine serves Western interests in preventing a wider war and the destabilization of the European Union. In Ukraine’s fight to take back territory seized by the Russian invasion, the chain of command for battlefield decisions runs directly from Mr. Zelensky to the military’s uniformed general staff, largely bypassing the civilians at the defense ministry, so the turnover is not expected to have an immediate effect on the course of the war. The ministry’s role is primarily not in tactics but logistics — procurement, salaries and benefits — where changes may not be felt right away.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky’s, Zelensky, Biden Organizations: United Nations General Assembly, European Union Locations: Ukraine, United States, New York, Washington, Russia, Western, Russian

CNN —A top Russian general who went missing after the mercenary group Wagner’s insurrection in June has been fired from his role as head of the country’s aerospace forces, Russian state media reported Wednesday citing unnamed sources. Gen. Sergey Surovikin has spent four decades as part of the Russian military, including a brief stint running Russia’s war effort in Ukraine. A Russian lawmaker said in July that Surovikin is “resting.”Documents shared with CNN in June suggested that Surovikin was a secret VIP member of Wagner. As the head of the aerospace forces, Surovikin oversaw the Kremlin’s campaign in Syria, during which Russian combat aircraft were accused of causing widespread devastation in rebel-held areas. Surovikin’s official bio on the Russian Defense Ministry’s website still lists him as the head of the aerospace forces.

Persons: Sergey Surovikin, Surovikin, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Sorovikin, Gen, Viktor Afzalov, Surovikin’s, Ivan Popov, Vladimir Putin, Gleb Irisov, –, ” Irisov, KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV, Alexey Venediktov Organizations: CNN, The New York Times, RIA Novosti, Aerospace Forces, Moscow’s Defense Ministry, Kremlin Press Office, Russian, Human Rights Watch, Getty, Ministry of Defense, RBC, Russian Defense, Russian Ministry of Defense Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Kerch, Crimean, Russia, Afghanistan, Syria, Moscow, AFP

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